Florida Education Department Report Shows 'Critical Teacher Shortage'; Teachers Union Slams Ron DeSantis' Response

The Education Department of Florida has revealed in its analysis that the state has areas that still experience "critical teacher shortages."

According to the Florida Department of Education's report, most of the shortage areas are in English and Reading and Science, WFLA News reported. Also included in the list are Exceptional Student Education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, Math, and Science-Physical.

Florida Education Department noted that the shortage in the mentioned areas "represent certification areas where substantial proportions of teachers who are not certified in the appropriate field."

The report added that significant vacancies are present, and postsecondary institutions do not produce enough graduates to meet the state's K-12 needs. English has the highest ranking for critical shortages, followed by exceptional student education.

Florida's Critical Teacher Shortage Response

The Education Department noted that just 19.62% of English as Second Language teachers were certified, while only 10.2% were certified to teach ESE courses. The report added that districts wanted to hire teachers certified in certain fields for the courses they teach.

In response to the teaching shortage, Florida governor Ron DeSantis has allowed military veterans without bachelor's degrees and no prior experience to apply for a temporary five-year teaching certificate while they finish their bachelor's degrees.

However, not everyone approves of the governor's response to the teacher shortage. Teachers' unions across the state are disapproving of the idea, saying that it will not solve the long-term staffing problem.

Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar told Yahoo Finance that the plan does not really "get at the root of the problem." Spar noted that they want to ensure that they have "fully-trained, fully-credentialed teachers" in the classroom to provide support to teach every student.

Aside from the teacher shortage, the state's education curriculum is also being rewritten. According to one teacher, launching a new curriculum could affect teachers and students in the long term.

The union said the COVID-19 pandemic made the shortage of teaching staff worse. However, they added that "shortages were pre-existing condition."

Critical Teacher Shortage in Other States

Florida is not the only state facing staff shortage, with rural school districts in Texas switching four-day weeks this fall due to the shortage.

The Washington Post reported that Arizona is allowing college students to join the staff and teach children. School Superintendents Association's executive director, Dan Domenech, noted that he has never seen a teaching staff shortage "this bad."

No national database accurately keeps track of the matter. Experts noted that a number of factors contributed to the shortage, such as pandemic-induced teacher exhaustion, low pay, and low morale.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said the political situation in the U.S. with legitimate aftereffects of COVID had created staffing issues.

In Florida, DeSantis has banned the teaching of critical race theory in classrooms. Spar said that constantly maligning teachers and staff while being underpaid and under-sourced will prompt them to leave.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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