As the fall semester begins with more school districts opening each week, time is running out to fill hundreds of vacant jobs.
But the teacher shortage has improved.
Demi Brown is the Executive Director and principal of the Empower Language Academy in Linda Vista. She struggled to fill some of her open positions because of the shortage of bilingual teachers.
“We just want to bring it. We want to bring it for our students,” Brown said. “We are so fortunate to have this team in place and they go above and beyond.”
Empower Language Academy is a small dual immersion program with an expected roster of 160 students in TK through 6th grade. Students learn in English and Spanish.
“It really is about supporting our teachers so they can support our students and their families,” Brown said. She filled 22 positions for the fall including a new full-time psychologist hired with the help of additional state funding.
The San Diego County Office of Education reports about 350 teacher openings right now. That’s down significantly from the past two years.
The SDCOE strategy to improve staffing includes the launch of a new Educator Pathways website. The site offers resources and information on how to get teaching jobs.
The county office also has a new internship program for teacher candidates working to earn their multiple-subject credential. The program allows them to get a full-time teaching job with benefits while receiving mentorship and other support.
“To do that it, really takes some refined teaching skills,” Sheiveh Jones, executive director of SDCOE human recourses, told KPBS News, “ and they come in ready to teach and then continue to get better as we all should.”
Daisy Garcia is one of the new hires at the Empower Academy. She is also a first-year teacher. Garcia was not discouraged about continuing her chosen career.
She said, “The teacher shortage has been really tough, especially during COVID. It’s been a very interesting time. But, I became a teacher to help students and be a positive impact on other people.”
