TEACHER SHORTAGE: 17 TEACHERS & 47 STAFF MEMBERS STILL NEEDED FOR UPCOMING SCHOOL YEAR

Monroe County School District’s executive director for personnel support Harry Russell is leaving “no leaf unturned” to find qualified candidates for 64 job openings. CHARLOTTE TWINE/Contributed

With the Aug. 10 start date for the school year coming fast, Monroe County officials are scrambling to fill teacher positions, “leaving no leaf unturned.” They are not alone. School districts across the nation are struggling to find educators to teach their children.

“There’s a national teacher shortage,” Harry Russell, the school district’s executive director of personnel support and instructional leadership, told Keys Weekly. “And Florida is not immune to that.”

At a recent school board meeting, superintendent Theresa Axford said Florida currently has 7,500 job vacancies throughout its school systems.

The Monroe County School District currently has 64 positions that need to be filled, Russell said. Of those 64 openings, 17 are for teachers. “From Key West to Key Largo and all the schools in between, we need food service workers, paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, school psychologists, administrative assistants, maintenance positions, activities leaders, day care workers and bookkeepers.”

The reasons for the shortage? Russell said that locally, affordable workforce housing is a problem. But he also pointed out a nationwide trend since the pandemic.

“The job market is going through self-correction nowadays,” he said. “Employees are looking for opportunities to work virtually. The market is reshaping itself.”

As of press time, “the greatest need for teachers is in the Key West area,” Russell said. Key West High School needs five teachers, and Horace O’Bryant School needs five, as well. Poinciana Elementary School needs two, and Gerald Adams Elementary School needs two.

However, Russell pointed out, other areas in Monroe County have filled all or most of their teacher openings. Three schools in the Upper Keys — Coral Shores High School, Plantation Key School and Key Largo School — have hired all needed teaching staff. Sugarloaf School needs one teacher, while “Marathon will probably have zero openings by the end of the week,” Russell said.

A common problem is that good candidates are hired from out of state, but then they back out upon realizing that they can’t afford to live in the Keys. “We proactively ask candidates: ‘Are you familiar with the Keys? The cost of housing?’” said Russell. “We definitely don’t sugarcoat that so they know what they’re up against and don’t back out.”

Sometimes, state requirements come into play when looking for an educator, said Key Largo School principal Darren Pais. 

“The hardest positions to hire are for the middle school,” he said. “Those teachers are required to be certified in specific content areas.  For instance, our 7th grade math teacher is required to have a certification in math 5-9 or 6-12.  That is a very specific need, and the teacher shortage makes it comparable to looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Russell said the district’s new strategy is to focus on hiring local talent, since those candidates usually already have housing. To that end, staff has also held eight local job fairs since May throughout the county, putting up a tent to hand out notices of the openings at locations such as Baby’s Coffee on Sugarloaf Key.

“We’ve left no leaf unturned,” said Russell. “We impress upon people that we have competitive paying jobs with benefits. Those are the types of things that may make a difference.”

The efforts of district staff to address the shortage have not gone unseen.

“I tip my hat to the superintendent and the staff,” said school board member Bobby Highsmith. “They are working hard. … I think every person in our school district has always worked very hard to deliver the best possible education, going above and beyond”

School principals have a plan in place in case some openings are not filled. “We are working on utilizing all school personnel and long-term substitutes to cover the positions that are open on the first day,” said Key West High School principal Larry Schmiegel. “Having a prepared teacher in front of the students each day is our priority.”

Schmiegel is also staying positive.
“We are excited to welcome students back on Aug. 10,” he wrote Keys Weekly in an email. “Our theme this school year is ‘Rise as one! Rise as Conchs!’ It is our hope as a school family to persevere despite these staffing challenges with the support of our most seasoned educators. Our students deserve the absolute best and that is what we strive to provide. In the meantime, if parents have any questions they can contact our main office at 305-293-1549.”   

Charlotte Twine fled her New York City corporate publishing life and happily moved to the Keys six years ago. She has written for Travel + Leisure, Allure, and Offshore magazines; Elle.com; and the Florida Keys Free Press. She loves her two elderly Pomeranians, writing stories that uplift and inspire, making children laugh, the color pink, tattoos, Johnny Cash, and her husband. Though not necessarily in that order.