6 July 2023
LIBERAL, Kan. (KSNW) – Enrollment for the fall semester began Wednesday for Wichita Public Schools, and with about a month to go before school begins, the district says it is still about 56 teachers short of what it needs.
More than half of the open positions are for middle school teachers. Right now, USD 259 is short 13 teachers for elementary, 14 for high school and 29 for middle school. That number could change as the district is still determining how many teachers will renew their contracts for next year, which were supposed to be signed by July 1, and those that renew their teaching licenses.
Liberal schools are also still looking for teachers. The district is 22 short of what it says it needs: 11 for preschool through 5th grade and 11 in 6th through 12th grade. The district is using incentives to attract and retain educators.
Liberal’s superintendent told KSN News that it is taking some of its long-term substitutes who wish to become full-time teachers and paying for the required courses for them to be certified.
“What we have done here in Liberal is that we have long-term substitute teachers, what we call interims. And what we have started to offer those staff members if they want to continue, and they want to become teachers, we are paying for those courses so they can become certified teachers,” said Ruben Cano, School Superintendent Assistant of Liberal School District.
Cano said many of the interims who come to the district have a bachelor’s degree in something outside of education, or they’ve started the process of an associates degree, and they cover the cost of getting certified
Resources:
Career opportunities at Liberal USD 480
Career opportunities at Wichita USD 259
Education career opportunities in Kansas