GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - As students return to school, the Verify team is looking into the effects of Michigan's teacher shortage.
Grand Rapids Public Schools have experienced an ongoing teacher shortages for years.
“We are looking at about 40 vacancies in teaching positions for Grand Rapids Public Schools," said John Helmholdt, the executive director of communications and external affairs at Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Grand Rapids Public Schools serves as an example of what many West Michigan districts are facing as a result of the teacher shortage.
“There’s a teacher shortage not only in West Michigan, but across the state of Michigan and across the country,” Helmholdt said.
There’s a 62 percent decrease in teacher certifications since the peak in 2004, according to the Kent Intermediate School District.
“You have less students applying for colleges of education, and you have less students graduating from colleges of education,” Helmholdt said. "Those students that are graduating in Michigan from colleges of ed, fewer of them are able to pass the actual teacher certification exam.”
Grand Rapids Public Schools said districts aren’t looking for just anyone.
“There are technically enough teachers to fill classrooms," Helmholdt said. "But those specialty areas in special education, English language learners, math and science, there is a very small talent pool.”
Some districts are hit harder than others.
“Those districts that are serving a higher percentage of special education students and English language learners, which are predominately going to be your urban," Helmholdt said. "At the same point, our rural population has similar needs with high poverty and a lot of English language learners.”
There are guidelines for GRPS when it comes to student–teacher ratios.
“The contract with the Grand Rapids Education Association specifies what those are," Helmholdt said. "You're looking in the 25 to 30 range at the elementary level, you're looking at 25 to 35 at middle school, and you're looking at 30 to 35 at the high school level.”
We can verify: Are teacher shortages resulting in bigger class sizes in Grand Rapids Public Schools?
“By and large we are in accordance with our contract around class sizes," Helmholdt said. "It's really more a matter of do we have substitute teachers, short term subs, long term subs, or do we have one of our veteran retirees who we've brought back thanks to the Critical Shortage legislation. But at this point it should not be impacting class sizes.”
In an email, Ron Koehler, an assistant superintendent at Kent ISD said most districts maintain class sizes at 26 for upper elementary and secondary programs, and try to keep class sizes for lower elementary at 20 to 24.
"In the grades where classroom size is most important – the early grade levels – I doubt very much that teacher shortages of the type we’re discussing would impact class size because elementary teachers are still in relatively strong supply," Koehler wrote.
GRPS is working to combat the teacher shortage through multiple approaches.
First, hiring a talent acquisition manager.
"New position created to aggressively and actively mine for talent among colleges and universities in West Michigan and outside of the state - targeted at historically black colleges and universities, historically hispanic colleges, universities," Helmholdt said.
Helmholdt also discussed additional recruitment strategies.
"Sending busses to different colleges, bringing those students here, and frankly wining and dining them," Helmholdt said. "We're showing off Grand Rapids."
And GRPS is encouraging students to go into the teaching profession.
"We're launching the new Academy of Teaching and Learning to grow our own partnership with Ferris State University," Helmholdt said. "Students graduate from Innovation Central's Accademy of Teaching and Learning meeting certain criteria, they are guaranteed a slot at Ferris State University. If they meet a certain criteria graduating from the College of Education, we wil hire them back."
Helmholdt also emphasized the need for GRPS to be competitive with surrounding districts in pay and benefits, and arrange incentives for teachers who accept a position with the district.
Although there are dozens of openings at GRPS, Helmholdt said it's the lowest number of vacancies the district has seen in years.
Sources:
John Helmholdt - executive director of communications and external affairs at Grand Rapids Public Schools.
Ron Koehler - assistant superintendent at the Kent Intermediate School District.
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