In the current economic state of the world, and the aftermath of COVID-19, one often hears the term labor shortage. While there are many layers and opinions as to why there is a lack of workers – some saying it is because of laziness and others because of inadequate pay or unfair treatment – the fact of the matter is there are not enough people to fill the open positions in many corporations.

This is especially apparent in schools with the pool of licensed teachers seemingly sparse. On September 20, there were 2838 postings on the Indiana Department of Education School Personnel Job Bank, with some schools still looking to fill open positions.

Not only have there been numerous teacher walkouts and mass resignations around the country, colleges have reported seeing far fewer education majors.

“There are fewer people graduating from college with teaching degrees, and thus fewer applicants when we have openings,” said superintendent Greg Walker.

Without new teachers, schools will have difficulty staying staffed. In order to combat such shortages, and help bridge the gap, the Paoli Community School Corporation has hired employees in teaching positions who do not yet have teaching licenses, but are working to earn their licenses in a new way.

Transition to Teaching (T2T) is a program offered by the Indiana Department of Education which allows a professional with a bachelor’s degree, and career experience in areas other than education, to work towards becoming certified to teach while in classroom settings. These professionals are not required to have completed any education courses before entering the classroom, but must be enrolled in a T2T program to acquire a position within a school. The programs offered range from 18 credit hours for secondary education to 24 credit hours for early childhood education and elementary education.

While Paoli schools currently employs teachers enrolled in a T2T program, Walker assures they are fit to be teaching and equipped to do their jobs.

“They are qualified and all accepted into approved Transition to Teaching programs,” said Walker.

Another way PHS is trying to get a head start at increasing numbers of qualified teachers for the future is by applying for a grant. The Attract, Prepare and Retain (APR) Grant from the Indiana Department of Education, was applied for with the hope of “growing our own teachers” starting at the student level.

If Paoli is awarded this grant the money would go toward programs which give students the opportunity to take classes during high school that would prepare them to go into the field of education.

“We applied for the APR grant in an effort to tap into any interest students have in becoming a teacher and help them get a jump start on that process,” said Walker.

Whether these undertakings were worth it is something that remains to be seen. To learn more, visit the Indiana Department of Education’s website.