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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota schools with teacher shortages might be allowed to bring in people from the community to help educate students.
The state Education Standards and Practices Board endorsed the proposed "hardship waiver" on Monday and authorized the drafting of emergency administrative rules, which the governor must approve.
The proposal would allow people in a community to teach about their area of expertise. For example, an experienced farmer might teach vocational agriculture, even if he or she does not have a college degree in education.
The action is necessary because there are at least 174 open teaching positions in the state, with some schools starting classes in less than three weeks, according to State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler.
"School districts are in need of something. We were told that there is 160 or 170 openings as of right now with two thirds of the school districts responding (to a survey)," board member Paul Stremick said. "So there is a huge need, and we have to do something to help those students."
The shortage is due to several reasons, including school expansions in the booming oil patch, fewer college students pursuing higher education because of wages, and difficulties in recruiting new college graduates from out of state, said Wayne Stanley, superintendent of South Prairie school in the Minot area.
"Two years ago, we had two elementary positions opened up; at that time we had five applicants for two positions," Stanley told KXMC-TV. "If you want to flash back 15 years ago, we'd have 50 applicants before the position was posted online."
The hardship waiver proposal came out of a task force that the state Department of Public Instruction formed in June. It will continue working on longer-term solutions to North Dakota's teacher shortage, according to Baesler.
"Our work is not over. It is just beginning," she said.
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