What’s happening?
Baltimore City is one of many cities across the country affected by the national teacher shortage, Nordea Lewis reports for WMAR. The school system posted about 1,300 vacancies in 2022, and 600 of those positions have yet to be filled.
What is the school system’s plan to fill teaching positions?
Aside from offering competitive salaries, it’s focused on creating a safer and healthier environment for teachers, including introducing more breaks and wellness afternoons. “Teaching in this environment right now is really challenging and we want to make sure we’re giving our teachers time for a break,” said Alison Perkins-Cohen, the school system’s chief of staff.
Though the district hopes to hire more full-time, permanent teachers before the school year starts in August, schools will turn to long-term substitute teachers to fill the remaining gap, Perkins-Cohen said.
Anything else I should know?
Currently, forty-four percent of public schools in the United States have teaching vacancies, according to the National Center for Education statistics.
You can read more here.
Editorial Disclaimer: Reporting for this story was provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and we thank them for their support. However, the findings and conclusions presented in this article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Foundation.
