NC has fewer teacher vacancies this school year. But why are so many not licensed?

North Carolina’s public schools have fewer vacant teaching positions this school year, but more students are being taught by people who don’t have teaching degrees.

New figures released Thursday by the N.C. School Superintendents’ Association shows school districts opened the school year with 3,142 teaching vacancies. That’s 12% less than last year and 30% less than two years ago when schools opened with 4,467 teaching vacancies.

But the new data show that school districts hired 5,242 residency-licensed teachers this school year, a 45% increase from two years ago. These educators are allowed to work in the classroom at the same time they’re trying to complete their licensure requirements.

“While the numbers in teacher vacancies show improvement, it’s clear that staffing shortages overall remain one of the main challenges superintendents and school districts face, especially early each school year.” Jack Hoke, executive director of the N.C. School Superintendents’ Association, said in an email Thursday.

Residency license teachers are people who are typically making a career change. They start teaching with less training than a person who was an education major in college.

Schools are turning more to residency license teachers because fewer students are attending traditional teacher preparation programs.

According to the National Council on Teacher Quality, there’s been a 51% decrease in the past decade in traditional enrollment in North Carolina teacher preparation programs.

Between 2010 and 2023, the UNC System saw a 50% drop in the number of undergraduate education majors.

On average, residency license teachers are less likely to stay in the profession than traditionally trained educators.

School districts like Wake County have increasingly relied on in-house programs like the Future Teachers Program that offer jobs to high school seniors who agree to teach in the district after college graduation.

The state also expanded the Teaching Fellows program this year to include Appalachian State University and East Carolina University. They’re now among 10 institutions that provide up to $10,000 a year in financial aid for college students who agree to teach certain subjects in North Carolina public schools.

This week, state lawmakers approved a mini-budget that includes $463 million more for private school vouchers and $95 million for public school enrollment growth. State House Republicans said they were unable to convince their Senate colleagues to provide additional teacher raises in the mini-budget.

This means teachers only got the raises this year that were previously built into the two-year budget adopted in 2023.

.The National Education Association ranked North Carolina 38th in the nation in teacher pay in the 2022-23 school year and projected the state had fallen to 41st in the 2023-24 school year.

Also earlier this year, the state Department of Public Instruction released a report showing the teacher turnover rate has risen by 47%. This means 1 in 9 educators left the profession between March 2022 and March 2023.

Each year, the N.C. School Superintendents’ Association surveys school districts about how many vacant positions they have on the first day of classes.

This year, the state’s 115 school districts reported having 8,335 vacancies among teaching, support staff and central office positions. That’s down 15% from last year and 26% from two years ago.

One of the big exceptions to the decline was in bus driver vacancies. Statewide, there are 1,315 vacant bus driver positions. That’s one more from last year and 16% more than in 2021 when there were 1,132 vacancies.

Bus driver vacancies have led to longer bus rides and more crowded buses across the state. It’s also led to days when families have had to provide their own transportation when no bus drivers have been available.

“The fact that many districts are still struggling with vacancies highlights the need for continued efforts to address these shortages,” Hoke said. “We will continue advocating for higher pay for teachers and other school staff and an overall increase in state funding to ensure our students have the qualified educators and other service providers they deserve.”