OUT: Backwards policies at Forest Hills School District In December, the Forest Hills School Board voted to rescind a controversial resolution that prohibited teachers from creating assignments that asked students to consider societal factors such as race, socioeconomic class, religion, gender identity or sexuality. The decision came in the aftermath of a December lawsuit settlement linked to the resolution, deceptively named the Resolution to Create a Culture of Kindness and Equal Opportunity. The district, while denying any wrongdoing, said it opted to resolve the matter to sidestep distractions from the “important business of educating children” and to mitigate the financial burden of ongoing litigation on taxpayers. Photo: Fauxels/Pexels

Lawmakers in the Kentucky House Education Committee have greenlighted a bill aimed at addressing the state’s widespread teacher shortage. It is estimated there are thousands of teacher vacancies in school districts across the state.

House Bill 319 would allow someone with at least a bachelor’s degree and at least four years of experience in their field to teach, under the supervision of a certified teacher. The bill would also streamline the pathway to state certification for military spouses who are certified to teach in other states.

Sara Green, a Fayette County Middle School teacher and member of the American Federation of Teachers-Kentucky 120 United, said the bill is a good start.

“However, the bigger problem, that our legislature refuses to deal with, is the issue of making sure that we retain our teachers that we already have in the profession,” Green contended.

The legislation would also create an online statewide job-posting system, loosen requirements for teacher scholarships, and — if funding is available — expand the “GoTeachKY” ambassador program. The House Education Committee approved the measure by an 18-0 vote. It now heads to the full House for consideration.

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Green pointed out schools are also grappling with shortages of bus drivers, care professionals and cafeteria employees, and said educators are taking on more responsibilities every day because schools are not fully staffed. Green believes the problem will not be fixed if Kentucky fails to address teacher pay and benefits, noting there is little incentive for college graduates to enter the field.

“I feel like because we’ve become political pawns, our ideas — and just our objective story about what’s going on right now — has been completely dismissed,” Green asserted.

A 2021 Rand Corporation Survey found almost half of experienced teachers who voluntarily stopped teaching in public schools after March 2020 left because of the pandemic, citing stress and insufficient pay as the main factors driving their early retirement.

This article was originally published by Kentucky News Connection and is republished here with permission.

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This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 7, 2023.