Efforts underway to face local teacher shortages

Districts across the Miami Valley and the country continue to face a teacher shortage.

The pay scale, public attitude toward the teaching profession and the retirement of so many long-time teachers all contribute to the shortage, said Dr. Connie Bowman, Chair of the University of Dayton’s Department of Teacher Education.

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Kettering City Schools superintendent Scott Inskeep said the shortage means districts have to work harder to fill teaching positions.

“You’ve got to go out and find them. You gotta work hard on recruiting by going to various recruiting opportunities both in Ohio and outside of Ohio,” he said.

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Kettering also uses social media and advertises to spread the word about the district and the community.

“We promote Kettering as a great place to live, a great place to bring your family, a great place to raise a family,” Inskeep said. “Close to a metro area like Dayton with a lot of fun things to do.”

Kettering and Dayton Public Schools are also getting help from the Urban Teacher Academy at UD. The academy is a direct pipeline of new teachers from the UD program right into public schools.

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The number of college students going into education is down overall, according to the U.S. Department of Education. To counter that, government loan and grant programs are designed to help teachers who agree to work in special needs areas.

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