Teacher Shortage

Students in the Independence School District will only be in class four days a week next year. It's the largest school district in Missouri to make the switch amid chronic teacher and staffing shortages.

The state’s commission on teacher recruitment and retention says Missouri should find a way to pay teachers more.

A professor who studies rural schools in Missouri says the teacher shortage is now a crisis, and condensed schedules reflect that.

Missouri’s average starting teacher salary ranks as one of the lowest in the nation. Educators recounted that new and veteran teachers often have to find second jobs to make ends meet.

It’s part of an effort to study the teacher shortage in the state and make policy changes to address high turnover rates.

The state made changes to both the certification requirements and the limits for retired teachers.

Across the board, districts say the same types of teachers are difficult to find — high school science and math teachers, foreign language teachers and special education teachers. There is also a big demand for custodians, food service workers and other support staff.

The Missouri State Board of Education’s Teacher Recruitment and Retention Blue Ribbon Commission's inaugural meeting was initially not going to be open to members of the public.

In a recent survey published by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents, 96% of responding school districts said "they have a substitute teacher shortage problem" and 90% said that shortage "continues to get worse."

“Grow Your Own” programs are increasingly common. Collinsville School District 10 is expanding the concept with scholarships for students to pursue education degrees and, eventually, loan repayment for those who come back to teach in the district.