Survey: More Than 500 Teaching Jobs Are Still Open In OK

Kids are going back to school, but they are being greeted by fewer and fewer teachers.

A new survey shows Oklahoma already has a teacher shortage in the hundreds, and that’s on top of the 1,500 teaching positions cut due to the budget shortfall.

“The numbers continue to grow every year,” Oklahoma State School Board Association Director Sean Hime said about the latest survey.

This is the third year of the OSSBA survey, which shows Oklahoma school districts are trying to fill more than 500 teaching jobs as the new school year begins.

“I think any teacher who was in the 1,500 who were cut, found a job in Oklahoma or another state as quickly as they wanted to and we are still over 500 teachers short,” Hime said.

Hime blames teacher compensations as the main reason for the shortage.

He said months ago, Dallas Public Schools held a teacher job fair in Oklahoma City because they can offer $20,000 more to start than what a teacher would make in Oklahoma.

“Not a hard sell to make,” Hime said.

In July, the state Department of Education approved 300 emergency teaching certificates, and Hime expects 340 more to be approved this week.