Summer is winding down. Parents and kids are out doing their back-to-school shopping. But many school districts in Michigan are still trying to find enough teachers to fill their classrooms.
The issue of understaffing seems to be impacting almost all schools — whether they are small, large, public, or charter.
The Michigan Department of Education says more than 100 school districts and charters signed up for a teacher hiring fair in Lansing just last week.
Sarah Cwiek is Michigan Radio’s Detroit reporter. She joined Stateside’s Cynthia Canty to discuss how districts are responding to this shortage.
Cwiek spoke with the communications director for Dearborn public schools — a relatively large district with 30 schools. She said over the past three years, they have had to hire about 470 teachers.
“This was reflected in a couple other districts that I talked to, as well as state officials — that this has become a year-round effort for school districts, and it's kept them going right up to the very last minute, and it does put a strain on these districts,” Cwiek explained.
Listen above to hear more about factors contributing to this shortage, and whether or not this scramble for teachers will become the new norm.
This post was written by Stateside production assistant Sophie Sherry.
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