Kearney – The Nebraska Department of Education website has an interactive tool to view PK-12 job openings in the state.
The map is covered from border to border with pins advertising these locations.
Alliance Public Schools is hiring teachers for math, special education, physical education, English, business, social studies, and elementary school. Public schools in Crete are looking for teachers for art, science, English, primary school and information technology. South Sioux City Community Schools is also seeking teachers for elementary school, kindergarten, English, math, science, social studies, and special education.
The list is endless, and nearly every county has current and future needs.
“Nebraska's teacher shortage is real,” said Loomis Public Schools Superintendent Sam Dunn. “This is the worst situation I've seen in my 38 years in education.”
According to the Nebraska Department of Education's annual teacher vacancy survey, more than 900 positions in public school districts, education service units and private schools across the state were either vacant or filled with underqualified staff last fall. Ta. The survey, which covered 310 of the state's 436 school districts/systems, found that a lack of applicants was a major concern.
Ten years ago, it was not unusual for Lexington Middle School to receive more than 30 applicants for a single opening, according to Principal Scott West. Now, depending on the position, she may only be interested in 2 or 3 people.
“It's definitely changing,” West said. “Over the past five to seven years, we have consistently experienced a severe shortage of prospective students, especially in math, science, and special education. There are very few of them.”
To address this issue, many school districts in Nebraska are implementing more aggressive recruiting strategies. They begin searching for replacement employees early in the school year, offer high salaries to educators, and offer sign-on bonuses to applicants.
“School salaries are constantly going up because of the competitive environment we're in,” says Mark Reed, dean of the University of Nebraska at Kearney's College of Education.
Mr. Reed, a former high school teacher, sees an urgent need to recruit and train more students to serve the state as PK-12 educators. And he believes continued shortages could actually be a selling point.
“There are jobs available,” Reed said. “It doesn't matter what your field of study interests you. It doesn't matter what age group you want to teach. The job is there.”
Nearly 900 undergraduate students are currently enrolled in UNK's teacher preparation program, and most have one or more job offers by the time they graduate. In January, representatives from more than 60 of her school districts across five states gathered on campus for the annual Educational Opportunity Fair, further demonstrating the strong demand for these professionals.
“We need to get out there with a big megaphone and tell people all the benefits of the teaching profession,” Reid said. “Some of that is impacting young people’s lives.”
a rewarding profession
That impact inspired Joseline Carrizales to pursue a career as a teacher.
“Growing up, I had a lot of good teacher role models that I was really, really close to,” she said. “Those connections were really beneficial to me, and I want to create the same experience for my students.”
Carrizales, a Lexington native and Kearney High School graduate, is a senior at UNK studying elementary education with a certification in English as a second language.
She said the UNK teacher education program is “very intentional,” with courses and field experiences that are directly applicable to the profession.
“This is not just a passive program. Obviously, their goal is to get them into school after graduation, and they do a great job of preparing students through classes and other opportunities,” she said. I did. “There have been many times when I read something in a textbook one day and saw it in person the next day.”
Experiential learning is a strength of the UNK program. Students begin observing the K-12 classrooms they work with as early as their first year and continue to participate in field experiences until they are ready to teach.
“One of the things we really push from an education standpoint is that we have to get students into the classroom. We want their first experience in the classroom to be their student teaching experience. We don't want that,'' said West, who serves on UNK's Teacher Education Advisory Committee.
“I think UNK did a great job with that,” he added. “They’re getting students out into the classroom, which is great.”
This partnership is mutually beneficial. This allows students to choose an educational path that matches their interests and passions, and gives schools the opportunity to connect with future employees early in their studies.
“We have the opportunity to see our students firsthand,” West said. “We get to watch them teach and see what they're capable of. This provides a snapshot of what working life will be like for us here in Lexington.” It’s also a good way to do that.”
As an added incentive, Lexington Public Schools will begin paying student teachers this school year, and the Nebraska Legislature will waive 100% tuition for the semester in which they are enrolled for NU or state university system students. We are considering a bill to do so. teaching.
Ultimately, school administrators hope that the relationships they build now will lead to long-term careers in the future.
“We are fortunate to have an institution like UNK in our region,” West said. “When you look at the teacher education program at UNK, they do a really great job of preparing people for the world of education.”
Loomis Superintendent Dan agrees.
“UNK is a top-notch university that produces teachers, and this is a huge deal for all the small schools in south-central Nebraska,” he said. “We were very fortunate to have students from UNK.”
Both administrators describe teaching as a rewarding career with benefits that go far beyond salary.
“If you want to stay young at heart, this is the career for you,” Dunn said. “There is no greater feeling than working with students and working on our future.”
“We're here for a purpose, and I strongly believe that part of that purpose is service. It's to serve others,” West said. “I have a sense of service, and I think most educators do too. And there is no greater service to provide to an individual than a high-quality education.”
Carrizares has the same belief. A message on her laptop read: “Every child deserves a champion – someone who believes in them.”
“I think it motivates me when I have a tough day,” she said. “That’s the impact I want to have and be someone my students can rely on.”
Currently a student teaching in Kearny Public Schools, Carrizales plans to graduate from UNK in May and take a teaching position in central Nebraska.
“Both neighborhoods I grew up in were great, so I’m looking forward to giving back to what got me here,” she said.