Teacher Shortages

Firm Contracted To Fill Substitute Teacher Jobs In Philadelphia Still Failing. Philly (PA) (10/13, Graham) reports Source4Teachers, a firm hired to fill substitute teacher positions in Philadelphia schools, has missed another deadline in its contract with the school district after it failed to fill half of the district’s daily vacancies on Friday. The firm only filled 19% of classrooms that needed substitute teachers in the district on Friday. The firm’s contract requires it to fill 75% of classrooms that need substitutes. Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said, “It is our expectation that they do much better than they’re doing now.” The firm has been criticized for lowering the pay for substitute teachers compared to what the district paid before, which many in the community believe is partially responsible for their failure to perform. Elementary School Teachers Getting Harder To Find In Kansas. The Lawrence (KS) Journal World (10/13, Hancock) reports the Kansas DOE found that the five hardest teaching positions to fill in the state are: elementary school, middle school English, middle school mathematics, high school mathematics, and high school science. Some experts were surprised by the addition of elementary school teachers to the list, because in the past there has been a large supply of elementary school teacher applicants. Under a new state law, Kansas districts will be able to rehire retired teachers to fill the five positions that are most commonly vacant if the candidates will pay a surcharge to the state pension fund.