TPS, Union, Broken Arrow scrambling to find teachers: 'Nothing scares me more than the teacher shortage that we’re in the middle of right now'

Although the 2023-2024 school year does not start for at least two months, area school districts are already hustling to fill staffing vacancies for the coming school year.

“We’ve always been having to hustle,” Union Public Schools Executive Director of Human Resources Jay Loegering said. “If you take the baseline that we’re 4,000 teachers short in Oklahoma based on the number of emergency certifications, everyone is fighting for a pool that’s not there.”

As of Friday afternoon, Union has 52 known certified openings for the 2023-2024 school year. However, those numbers could fluctuate, as the district’s current teachers have until mid-month to advise on whether they will return next year.

Across town, Tulsa Public Schools has already brought on 250 new teachers for the coming school year and still has 185 open teaching positions around the district, according to Chief Talent and Equity Officer Andrea Castañeda.

https://tulsaworld.com/news/local/tps-union-broken-arrow-scrambling-to-find-teachers-nothing-scares-me-more-than-the-teacher/article_6bd70b02-0394-11ee-ba13-5bd57995d746.html