Michigan teacher recruitment, retention efforts attempt to stay ahead of attrition
EAST LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A new report explains that teacher turnover continues to be high in Michigan schools, indicating that the current teaching workforce is less experienced than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
That was among the trends noted during the Michigan Teacher Shortage Study 2025 Report presented Thursday by the Michigan State University Education Policy Innovation Collaborative.
"While Michigan has earned national recognition for its success in addressing the teacher shortage, we need to do more," State Superintendent Michael Rice said in the press release.
In its study, the collaborative looked at recruiting candidates, preparing teachers for certification, and retaining teachers in the schools where they are most needed. Initiatives mentioned as helping toward those goals include mentoring grants, tuition reimbursements, student teacher stipends and accepting out-of-state teacher certifications as valid in Michigan.
To illustrate the teacher shortage, the study reported 498 districts in Michigan had vacant teaching positions as the 2023-24 school year began. This was higher than any such statistic during the previous 10 years, but the collaborative members said they believed that earlier data was not as accurate.
In addition, some districts had vacancy rates of over 10% during the 2023-24 school year, particularly in the Detroit and Lansing areas and in some rural communities.
Special education was the most likely area to have vacancies as compared to other subjects.
"These vacancies can sometimes require teachers to cover classes during their planning time, teach classes outside of their licensure area, or accommodate larger class sizes," the report said. And in other cases, trainees with interim or temporary credentials are handling classes.
