Around 300 Des Moines teachers are absent every day
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Des Moines Public Schools is exploring new ways to recruit teachers following an increase in staff absences compared to last school year.
Why it matters: Unfilled absences can cut into the time teachers have for planning classroom instruction as they have to fill in for colleagues.
- It can also contribute to burnout that's been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Driving the news: DMPS experienced around 300 daily teacher absences this year — an increase from 250 last year, Superintendent Ian Roberts shared during a school board meeting last month.
- Typically, only 160 substitutes are found each day, he said.
- The district employs nearly 5,000 teachers and staff.
What's happening: District leaders plan on being more "creative" in its recruitment efforts, including targeting historically Black colleges to recruit more candidates of color, Roberts says.
- Teachers in math and science, some of the more difficult subjects to recruit, will also be "overhired" for next year.
What they're saying: Board member Teree Caldwell-Johnson said during the meeting that the school board should advocate for legislation next year that makes it easier to become an educator.
- The legislature already took steps last session, including allowing out-of-state teachers to more easily obtain Iowa credentials.
- "This is not about dumbing down the profession," Caldwell-Johnson said. "But it is about creating opportunities for non-traditional teachers to have opportunities to move into the teaching realm ..."
The big picture: Schools nationwide are struggling with staff shortages, especially as fewer young people enter the profession.
- In 2022, U.S. teachers experienced the worst wage gap in comparison to other college-educated professions.
- One district, Saydel, is considering moving to a four-day school week to be more attractive to potential teachers.