As schools start, districts still looking for a few good educators

The start of school typically falls right around Labor Day, but this year there’s a particular connection, as many local schools are figuring out how to manage their buildings with fewer workers than they’d like.

The shortages have led to revised collective bargaining agreements to make jobs more attractive, contracting with firms to provide critical services and a rapidly increasing use of a state program that allows candidates without teaching certification to earn their credentials while they work.

“If you show me someone who’s really good with kids, we can teach them the curriculum,” said Bob Champlin, interim superintendent for Laconia School District, referring to the state's alternative certification pathway, known as “Site-Based Learning.” Champlin said it offers districts the option to fill teaching positions with people with a background in a specific subject, even if they don’t have a degree in education. “Right now, we need the people with background, and we can see if they have the teaching skills.”

This year, Laconia is “pretty close” to fully staffed, Champlin said, when it comes to certified teaching positions. There is one loud exception, though, in that Laconia Middle School doesn’t have a chorus teacher to start the year.

“Of course, there’s probably 80 middle school kids who are signed up for chorus,” Champlin said, and a disruption at the middle school level could spell trouble for the future of the high school program. In addition to advertising the opening, Champlin said he’s been working his personal networks, hoping to find someone with experience in vocal instruction interested in working with children.

In Gilford schools, according to Superintendent Kirk Beitler, all teaching positions are filled except high school science teacher. Beitler said the staffing challenge facing his industry is interwoven with strands pulled by the rest of the labor market.

“There’s definitely a shortage right now, not just in education. It’s everywhere,” Beitler said. He is open to using the Site-Based Learning option, he said, though his preference would be for someone who went through an education program, which typically includes some time in a real-world classroom.

“All of a sudden you’re standing in front of 15 to 25 kids, you need to know how to engage them, how to present to them, how to present the material, and you need to develop relationships with them,” Beitler said. Yet, he added he has seen good teachers earn their certification through the alternative pathway. “You want to make sure they have knowledge of the subject matter, and if they have any experience with children, that’s an advantage as well.”

The shortage is likely entrenched, Beitler said, as there aren’t as many new graduates each year as there are retiring teachers.

Inter-Lakes is also fully staffed with certified staff — well, almost, said Mary Moriarty, superintendent for Inter-Lakes and Ashland school districts. “The one area is speech-language pathologist, we are contracting services to accomplish that work,” she said.

Inter-Lakes is down in other staffing areas, though. Speaking last week, Moriarty said the district needs eight more paraprofessionals, who help in the classroom.

Paraprofessionals deliver critical services inside schools, such as helping students catch up in specific subject areas, helping manage behavior, or to help deliver special education plans. They may not lead a classroom, but their absence is felt.

“It takes a lot to strategize how we fill those gaps,” Moriarty said. Schools can get by through a shuffling of staff, or by using substitutes, “but that doesn’t give us the continuity we would like to build. Being full-staffed is best, but you have to find ways to operate without your full staffing level, which creates stress across the system.”

There is hope for Inter-Lakes in the form of a new contract for paraprofessional staff, which was approved by Inter-Lakes voters earlier this year. The new contract provides a significant pay increase — someone without any post-secondary education could earn $17.73 per hour, while those with bachelor’s degrees will earn $1 more. There are additional pay considerations for specialized certifications. Perhaps more attractive than pay is the health insurance benefit — the district will pay 100% of the premium for an individual plan, and 85% for a plan that covers a family, “for very good, strong health care insurance,” Moriarty said.

In Laconia, the same strategy worked when it was employed last year. There is still a need for a handful of paraprofessionals in Laconia, but a year ago the district was short as many as 30 paras.

“Compared to last year, this is amazing,” wrote Amy Hinds, assistant superintendent, in a text message. She credited a new collective bargaining agreement, which lifted pay for paraprofessionals. “We are thrilled with the start of this year as paras are our unsung heroes.”

Moriarty hopes more people will consider working in schools, and noted it isn’t necessary to be a classroom teacher to play an important role for local children.

These positions could be well filled by people approaching retirement, or are looking for a career change, and could be a “great second act for somebody,” Moriarty said. “These are such important jobs, they’re a great way to earn some money and also give back to your community. It makes such a difference having a para, a bus driver, a custodian. It makes a difference.”

Five-fold growth

Moriarty recalls a time when hiring for open positions was quite different than it is today.

“Years ago, you would get hundreds of applications for a position. That is just not happening today,” she said.

While the circumstances surrounding workplace expectations have changed in recent years — many professional jobs offer remote or hybrid work arrangements, or perks such as flexible schedules and unlimited vacation time — the trappings of a teaching job remain largely the same as they were a generation ago. Meanwhile, Moriarty observed, costs such as child care and housing have climbed, perhaps causing people who might have dreamed of being a teacher to instead seek more lucrative work.

The staffing challenges are evident in the Site-Based Learning program offered by the state. According to information provided by the New Hampshire Department of Education, the alternative certification program is open to districts for filling teaching jobs listed as being in “critical shortage,” which are identified using the results of a survey the state sends to districts each fall. The current list, most recently updated in April, lists 21 positions in critical shortage, which is a dramatic improvement over 2019, when 50 positions were on the list.

State law allows individual districts to declare a position in critical shortage, allowing them to leverage the Site-Based Learning option to fill tricky positions, even if they aren’t named on the state’s list.

The program has exploded in popularity, with five times as many educators earning their credentials using the alternative program compared with five years ago.

Educators who use the Site-Based Learning Plan work under the mentorship of an experienced teacher, and have three years to complete their state certification. The state doesn’t track how such teachers fare relative to those who earn their certification through conventional means, such as through a university with an education program.

“If somebody has the thought, ‘Maybe I’d like to do this, but I’m not sure,’ call us. We’ll find a way to give you some kind of idea of what the experience is, help you make the decision if this is something you should apply for,” Moriarty said.