As North Carolina faces challenges in recruiting and retaining teachers, a recent statewide survey of school districts shows the number of unfilled teaching jobs has dropped significantly this school year.
But the report’s authors say the factors behind that decline are complicated.
The North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association’s annual survey of schools shows there were 2,155 teacher vacancies at the start of this school year — a 31% decrease from the same time last year.
The group’s executive director, Jack Hoke, says that’s a significant drop compared to past years. But he cautioned that while schools’ efforts to recruit and retain teachers are having an impact, the reasons for the decline can largely be attributed to the loss of federal pandemic relief money, which led many districts to cut positions supported by that funding.
“I would suspect that the COVID relief money and those positions going away probably has had the biggest impact,” Hoke said. “But then again, I know that superintendents and HR folks have done a real good job in the recruitment and retention. So it's probably a higher percentage of the loss of positions, probably 60/40, but again, it would depend on the district.”
Staff who held those federally funded positions may have gone on to fill vacancies elsewhere in their districts, contributing to the overall vacancy decline. Hoke noted that the student population is also down statewide, which leads to fewer teacher allotments from the state.
Grades 6-8 saw the biggest drop in teaching vacancies, falling from 708 last year to around 446 — a roughly 37% decrease. Vacancies in K-5 classrooms declined about 35%, and in grades 9-12, the decline was about 34%. Declines were more modest among exceptional children teaching positions, where vacancies were down around 20%.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has touted progress in filling vacancies this year, starting the school year with 67 fewer than last year and more than 300 fewer than the year before. But CMS also cut at least 40 vacant positions during last year’s budget cycle, citing uncertain revenue and the end of federal pandemic relief.
In a statement, CMS said reducing vacancies has been a focus for the district’s recruitment, retention and talent development division over the last year and a half, with new strategies including “targeted marketing and recruitment,” prioritizing support for schools with high teacher turnover, creating a CMS total rewards estimator and implementing additional professional development for school leaders.
As of Sept. 30, the district had 125 vacancies, resulting in a 98.7% fill rate. The district’s statement did not address questions on the extent to which cutting vacant positions has played a role in reducing vacancy rates this year.
Hoke told WFAE that teacher pay remains a challenge for schools hoping to retain and recruit teachers. By at least one metric, North Carolina is 43rd in the nation in teacher pay. Hoke said the teacher pipeline “has dried up and has been dried up for a number of years,” with fewer students enrolling in education programs at colleges and universities.
“We also have to make sure that we get the best working conditions possible for teachers, and we need to revere our educators, because again, there's nothing more important than the education of a child and the teacher in the classroom,” Hoke said.
