BY JAMES WILLIAMS
Special to the Monitor
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS—Vicki Kidwell, President of the Clay County Education Association, pointed out to the Clay County District school board that on its job site listing, there are 70 instructional openings, 25 of which are ESE teachers. She said the public wasn’t well aware that the number of classrooms without teachers was that high.
“I’m thinking about these students, and I’m feeling like this is a crisis,” she said. “Nothing can replace a high-quality teacher for every student.”
Less training, more support needed
Kidwell added that only 75% of today’s new hires were certified, which means, in some cases, they didn’t take public education classes or graduate from an education course with a bachelor’s that trained them how to teach.
“So, it’s going to take time and support for them to become effective educators,” she said. “How can Clay County District Schools avoid losing new educators who need time and support to become future leaders?”
She told the board these statistics could mean that students might be split between classes, creating cohorts with 25 students or more.
Students have no math teacher
“That feels dire to me,” Kidwell told board members. “I was a first-grade teacher for over 20 years. When I see there’s no junior high math, science, or reading teacher in a classroom because the job is posted and students have a rotating sub, it feels like it should be (considered) a crisis. It feels like it should be the top priority for Clay County District Schools because I can’t imagine not having a math teacher for the whole first quarter.”
Kidwell said the 2022-23 school board agenda from May to August showed the district had 57 concluded employments and 121 resignations for the 2022-23 school year. There have been three concluded employments and 50 resignations just from the first two months of 2023-24.
“Some might look at these numbers and say, oh, that’s not unusual or abnormal,” Kidwell opined, “but I don’t think that 70 teacher vacancies in October are normal or usual if the district is serious about retaining educators so that every student has a dedicated, certified teacher in their classroom.”
Kidwell urged the board to listen when teachers and her group: the Clay County Education Association, bring problems and to act on those issues.
“I urge you to be ready to show your dedication to retaining and valuing educators when we meet to continue bargaining, and we discuss compensation and working conditions that really make teachers want to leave,” she said.
Less students, less money
At the same October meeting, Constance Higgenbotham, president of Clay County Education-Retired, thanked the board for its support but said she had told a legislative delegation that Clay County needs more funding since a drop in the number of students in public schools could cost the district $9 million.
Higgenbotham added that the rules were not the same for private schools and public schools, and they should be put on a level playing field.
