Teacher Shortage Hits Home Again

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Students and teachers are looking forward to summer break, but school districts are focused on making sure their classrooms have teachers for the next school year. Granite School District still has 50 elementary school vacancies, and HR Director Mike Fraser worries even more will come open during the summer.

Fraser says applications are down for school districts around the state, in part because fewer students are enrolling in teacher preparation programs at universities. Low teacher pay also plays a role, but Utah lawmakers are changing that.

Still, Fraser says new teachers will not be the solution to Utah's shortage. Rather, he says the district's only hope is to entice thousands of licensed educators in Utah out of retirement. School districts may need to allow those retired teachers to tie into the state's retirement pool without giving up the current benefits they enjoy, says Fraser.

A proposal by the K-12 Alliance to offer year-round school and more teaching days would also ease the shortage, he says. But the public would first have to embrace alternate school schedules, which are generally not popular in Utah.

Listen here to the full interview with Mike Fraser on KCPW's Midday Metro.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2008 KCPW