First, the good news. Akron Public Schools approved 30 new teacher hires during Monday’s school board meeting.
Now the not-so-pleasant update: Teacher recruitment and retention continues to be a challenge for the public school system. Less than two weeks before the start of school for most K-12 students, dozens of classroom-level vacancies remain — including a substantial number at Buchtel Community Learning Center. Late last month, teacher vacancies stood at 160.
That’s why on Monday, Larry Johnson, the district’s talent and organizational development administrator, presented the school board with a new teacher recruitment and retention strategy.
“We’re looking at every avenue, narrowing our focus, and being as creative and innovative as we possibly can to make sure that we’re turning over every rock,” said Johnson, who gave the presentation with Wilma Cowan-Alexander, the school district’s teaching and learning coordinator.
It included:
- Execute recruitment and retention initiatives that connect with prospective teachers while they’re still attending college.
- Enhance the pipeline for Grow Your Own — the state program offers scholarships for high school students interested in pursuing a career in education provided that, after college, they commit to teaching in the district they graduated from for four years. Improving the pipeline would occur through alternative licensing programs, offering pathways for current employees to transition to teaching.
- Implement signing initiatives for new hires. It’s unclear if this is a bonus or some other kind of incentive that will be offered by the school district.
There’s also the traditional job fair, scheduled for Aug. 20. Current job openings range from teachers and bus drivers to intervention specialists and secretaries.
Most notable are the shortages of special education faculty and paraprofessionals, both of whom serve some of the school district’s most vulnerable student populations.
Is the work still worth it for someone looking to get into education?
Deanna Baddley, an intervention specialist at Litchfield Community Learning Center, believes it is.
“Being able to see a student go from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’ and ‘I did’ is very rewarding,” Baddley told Signal Akron. “… When I see them being able to reach [their] potential, that lets me know that I’m doing my job. And that’s the rewarding part of it.”
Why is there a shortage of teachers across Ohio?
It’s hard to pinpoint one reason, but the teacher shortage is not unique to Akron. Faculty shortages are widespread across Ohio as the state government shifts resources from public to non-public schools.
In Akron, years of tumultuous leadership — marked by rapid superintendent turnover — have likely eroded loyalty among the district’s teachers, state experts say.
“There’s fewer young people going into the profession in Ohio; there’s some attrition rates,” said Jessica Poiner, a senior education policy analyst at the Thomas Fordham Institute.
“But also, it’s so localized that it’s really hard to pinpoint one specific or two specific reasons because it varies so much based on the location.”
For Pat Shipe, the president of the local teachers’ union, the local issue of teacher shortages is multifold — national and state priorities, a generational turn away from educating as a profession and changes in district leadership all contribute.
“I believe in any profession, when you get a clear message that you’re not valued, that you’re not supported, people question whether that’s a field they want to enter,” Shipe said.
While APS tracks data on classroom-level vacancies, Ohio has for years failed to track statewide teacher shortages. Poiner, however, said that’s changing now that Gov. Mike DeWine included a mandate for the Department of Education and Workforce to track public school employment data in the recent budget.
“[That] could solve some of those problems and make it possible to kind of give districts and schools that are struggling with vacancies the support that they want and need,” Poiner said.
Johnson hopes that perception is changing in Akron with the appointment of Mary Outley to the school district’s top spot.
“Having Superintendent Outley leading the district has just put a jolt of calm and inspiration and hard work,” Johnson said. “It’s like a shot to the arm.”
Said Shipe: “There’s still a lot of work to be done, and our teachers, our educators, are aware of that. So hopefully we can turn the tide, but we’re going to wait and see.”
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How is Akron Public Schools addressing teacher shortages?
One of the biggest principles the Akron schools will focus on to successfully recruit and retain teachers is improving its reputation in the job market. Johnson believes some of that will come with stability in district leadership, but the plan also calls for a “comprehensive communication/marketing plan,” according to his presentation during the board meeting.
Johnson said the district’s professional development for teachers is “world class,” but he plans to beef it up even more.
If marketing strategies, including university partnerships, help to get teachers in classrooms, the other side of Johnson’s plan is to increase support for newly hired teachers. This includes enhancing teacher mentorship programs and streamlining the onboarding process.
Johnson also noted the school district’s plans to review its partnerships with staffing agencies for short-term and specialized positions and work to convince retired APS teachers to return.
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Some recruitment strategies already paying off for Akron schools
Locally, APS has partnerships with the University of Akron and Stark State College to help paraprofessionals, who pair with teachers to assist in the classroom, to gain their teaching credentials.
There’s the Harrington Scholarship as well, a collaboration between APS and UA that offers a full-ride scholarship for education majors who intend to teach locally after graduation.
Johnson said students often leave high school with ambitions of changing the world. It’s a worthy ambition, but a deeper impact can be forged locally.
“I think things like the Harrington Scholarship is actually turning them back and saying you can change your community today,” Johnson said. “Isn’t that a good place to start?”