As I’ve said many times: if you want to hire STEM graduates to teach in high school, pay them better. An annual bonus.
Non-STEM teachers are a dime a dozen.
But because of the liberal notion that teachers should paid based on degrees and years teaching instead of merit, this problem will continue to compound itself.
The Idaho State Board of Education reported that while the number of teacher vacancies have dropped since this spring, many hard-to-fill positions remain empty.
According to a news release from the Idaho State Board of Education, last May an informal survey of school districts in the state showed there were as many as 900 vacancies statewide. A follow-up survey showed the vacancies have dropped to 134 since the start of the 2022-23 school year. Of those vacant positions, 68% are in special education, 52% are in math and 35% are in science, which are typically harder to fill, according to the release.
A total of 87 of Idaho’s 115 school districts responded to this year’s survey, which was conducted by the Idaho Association of School Administrators, according to the release.
School districts have filled positions by using emergency certifications, paraprofessionals, and candidates with little or no education experience or training, according to the news release.