Austin Lewter
Jefferson Jimplecute
There is a shortage of teachers in Texas and Jefferson ISD is not immune to the problem.
So much, the JISD Board of Trustees okayed Superintendent Rob Barnwell to employee a third-party company to deliver virtual instruction to student should the need present itself in the upcoming school year.
As of press time Wednesday, Barnwell said JISD still has one open teaching spot.
“We have an IPC (Integrating Physics and Chemistry) position open at the high school and teachers are due back on campus next week. But we have prospect for the position, and I think we will be able to get it filled.”
According to the Texas Tribune, low pay, being overworked, bad benefits, health worries during the COVID-19 pandemic, culture wars involving library books, and the politics of classroom instruction have all had negative effects on the Texas teacher workforce.
“It has become a tough professional to recruit to,” Barnwell said. “The pay has never been great, and recent changes in teacher retirement standards have made it tougher. As it is now, you have to put in 40 years teaching before you come eligible for full teacher retirement benefits in Texas.”
Texas also ranks one of the worst states for teacher retirement.
Retired Texas teachers have not received a cost-of-living raise since 2004. Double-digit inflation has exacerbated the problem.
“The more rural your district, the tougher it is to recruit,” Barnwell said. “We just can’t offer the same pay scales as Frisco and Melissa.”
At home in Jefferson, Barnwell found the district going into July with multiple teacher openings at various campuses and needed to put a contingency plan in place.
That plan involves the company Elevate K-12.
According to Barnwell, the company delivers virtual classroom instruction.
Students in Jefferson can be taught by a certified teacher who is broadcasting into their classroom from a different location.
The district then places a teaching aid in the room to assist in the delivery.
Elevate K-12 is one of several companies across the nation who specialize in such classroom instruction.
Classes are delivered live and in real-time.
But, though the board approved the measure, Barnwell does not think JISD will need to employ it.
“Like I said, I think we have the IPC spot filled. If so, we’ll have a full staff,” Barnwell said.
Remote instruction is becoming more and more common across the country as schools face staffing shortages.
“I had no idea how widespread (virtual instruction) is,” Barnwell said. “There are just fewer and fewer people going into the profession and districts are forced to make the best of a bad situation… nothing replaces the value of face-to-face instruction, but this is the world we are now living in.”
Barnwell projects 1170-1180 students on the first day of school at Jefferson ISD.
“That is about where we ended last year with,” he said.
Classes start Tuesday, August 9.
Teachers come back to work Monday.