KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — On Monday, students are expected to return to the classroom in Knox County Schools. But as the start of the school year fast approaches, leaders said there are around 68 positions still open across all grade levels as of Tuesday.
Across Tennessee, education leaders said the state still needs around 2,000 teachers to meet the needs of students. In Knox County, students may return to class without a full-time teacher. District staff may fill in as substitute teachers as they work to hire more people to step in.
"The school board approved a full-time sub position for every school this year," Kristi Kristy, a KCS board member for District 9 said.
Knox County is the third-largest school district in Tennessee, employing more than 4,600 people. Scott Bolton, the KCS Human Resources Executive Director said the district needs science and English-language arts teachers the most.
"We feel better on the teaching side this year than last year," he said.
According to the Tennessee Department of Education, fewer people are seeking teaching certifications compared to previous years. In January, the Professional Educators of Tennessee said fewer people were becoming teachers simply because they were not choosing to study it.
They said stress and overwhelming work were pushing current teachers out and keeping potential teachers from pursuing it as a career. Recently Larry Arnn, the President of Hillsdale College, also insulted teachers by saying they were "trained in the dumbest parts of the dumbest colleges in the country."
Gov. Bill Lee previously asked him to bring 100 of his charter schools to Tennessee. The school describes itself as an "independent institution of higher learning." Advocates previously said mocking the profession could contribute to fewer people choosing to be teachers since they would face even more stress.
Knox County Schools adopted several recruiting strategies, including a program to find and retain teachers of color as well as an initiative that employs teaching assistants from nearby universities.
"When we start school, I would like to have zero vacancies and that is our goal," said Bolton.
