School districts overcoming challenge of filling teacher vacancies
BALTIMORE - School districts nationwide are facing teacher shortages, and racing against the clock to fill vacancies before the start of the year.
Cheryl Bost is hard at work for education, she's a teacher in Baltimore County and the president of the Maryland State Education Association, "The educator shortage is first and foremost on our mind."
Shortages have been an ongoing issue throughout school systems for years. As educators say, fewer people are pursuing degrees in education.
"Unfortunately, we don't operate in a state that is a net importer of teachers. They produce less than half the teachers we hire every year, " said Dr. Sean W. Bulson, Superintendent Of Harford County Public Schools
Districts are forced to make do with less qualified candidates.
Howard County Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Martirano says they are all competing for the best and the brightest, "I have to recruit differently more aggressively because competition is stiff."
Teachers' Union representatives highlight low starting teacher salaries as what they believe is the number one culprit to overall vacancies. According to the National Education Association, the average starting teacher salary in Maryland is $49,451.
"We are not paid at a professional rate. It's still about $.80 on the dollar compared to other people who have the same level of expectation of education," said Bost.
Educators mention the lack of autonomy, pressure to meet standardized testing scores and an overall declining respect for the profession has created a severe decrease in morale.
Qualified teachers are desperately needed in areas of Special Education, STEM, and support services.
Districts are stretched thin, and parents say it's the students that suffer the most. "Anytime you look at teacher shortage you are looking at higher numbers of kids in the classroom, so you wonder what level of teaching you are going to get?," said Matt Fisher, a parent.
"You want the best teachers for your kids in any school not even just a Baltimore City everywhere", Sonlonuaya Puttaway, parent.
Overall shortages are lower this year than last, as many districts are expecting to hit full employment by the start of the school year.
Officials chalk it up to increased efforts to recruit and retain such as bonuses and incentives. "We're investing much more in how we support teachers, we are investing much more in our career pathways our talent pathways, work to try to do more of a grow your own type work," said Dr. Sean W. Bulson, Superintendent Of Harford County Public Schools.
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future, passed in 2021 will implement a statewide minimum starting salary of $60,000 for teachers by July 2026.
