Staff shortages lead to school program cuts in Des Moines

Metro Kids Care before- and after-school programs aren't being offered at three Des Moines elementaries due to staffing shortages, district spokesperson Phil Roeder tells Axios.

• More than 350 students remain on Metro Kids' wait list.

Why it matters: It's one example of how a staffing crisis is affecting school services across the state, Margaret Buckton of the Urban Education Network tells us.

Catch up fast: A teacher shortage is a national problem being linked to burnout, low wages and increasing demands, Axios' Erica Pandey and Allison Snyder report.

• Meanwhile, Des Moines Public Schools has offered a $50,000 delayed retirement incentive to try to keep teachers on board.

By the numbers: As of Monday, DMPS had at least 105 unfilled positions, including 44 teachers and 34 special education instructors, Roeder said.

• Statewide, schools had more than 5,000 positions open, according to Teach Iowa, a service through the Iowa Department of Education.
• That includes more than 1,100 full-time classroom positions, mostly teachers.

Of note: More than 95% of DMPS' full-time positions are filled, including teachers, Roeder said.

What’s happening: School starts Wednesday in DSM and the unfilled classroom positions will be covered with a combination of long-term substitutes or by reassigning teachers, Roeder said.

• Of 23 Metro Kids Care sites, the Garton, Willard and Wright elementary locations will not open until the district finds enough staff.
• The district was able to provide transportation for about three dozen students to nearby schools that still offer the Kids Care program.

The big picture: DMPS' staffing shortage is problematic but it's not an anomaly. Cedar Rapids — which has about half as many students as DMPS — has more than 150 open positions, according to the district’s website.

• Ankeny, Johnston and Urbandale had five or more full-time classroom positions listed Monday by Teach Iowa.

What we're watching: Two legislative changes this year should help ease school staffing shortages, Buckton said.

• Students no longer must pass a college exit exam to become an Iowa teacher. As a result, there are more pending licenses that could be approved in coming weeks.
• Earning limitations for employees in the state retirement system who return to work have increased, a benefit that starts four months after their initial retirements.