Over the next decade, it is projected that approximately 30 percent of teachers will retire. Over the same period of time, we expect a considerable increase in the number of children entering school, subsequently increasing demand for new, qualified teachers. Thus compounding our existing teacher shortage.
The ongoing teacher shortage affects all levels of the educational pipeline and ripples into our local industries. The unfortunate reality is that in some schools, students are placed in impacted classrooms or in classrooms without a fully credentialed teacher. School administrators must then resort to advocating for emergency teaching certificates to address staffing vacancies. In rural communities, this issue can create even more severe challenges.
