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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's shortage of teachers has gotten worse, with the highest number of unfilled posts in a decade, and a provision that would have allowed "community experts" to take on educational roles appears to have failed.
State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said this week that 204 teacher openings around North Dakota are unfilled, up 55 percent from the same time last year and the highest number in 10 years.
Nearly one-fifth of the openings are in career and technical education positions. There also are a large number of openings in social studies, special education and business education.
Reasons for the shortage include school expansions in the oil patch and fewer college students choosing education as a career, in part due to low pay.
Baesler assembled a task force in spring 2015 to explore potential solutions. One idea approved by the state Education Standards and Practices Board and by Gov. Jack Dalrymple last fall was to allow schools to bring in qualified people from the community to help educate students in their area of expertise. For example, an experienced farmer could apply to teach vocational agriculture, even without a college degree in education.
Only one person applied under the emergency provision, and that person turned out not to be qualified, according to Janet Welk, executive director of the Education Standards and Practices Board.
"With guidance from the attorney general's office, (the board) learned the applicant must have a bachelor's degree in the content area to be taught," she said.
North Dakota United, which represents thousands of teachers across the state, has opposed the community expert plan. The idea is not a long-term solution and also shortchanges students, association President Nick Archuleta said.
"Teaching is not a job just anybody can do. It's insulting to teachers to say, 'anyone can do your job,'" he said Tuesday. "Our kids deserve highly qualified, well-trained teachers in their classrooms."
Archuleta, a member of the task force, said other ideas should be explored, such as higher teacher pay and a student loan forgiveness program for beginning teachers.
Baesler has asked the North Dakota University System to endorse offering a master's of arts degree in teaching. That would make it possible for mid-career professionals who already have a bachelor's degree to obtain the academic credentials they need to be licensed as teachers through graduate-level coursework.
The state Board of Higher Education has approved allowing Valley City State University, Mayville State and Dickinson State to offer such degrees. The three schools are awaiting approval from the Higher Learning Commission, a Chicago-based accrediting agency.
The teacher shortage task force meets again on Thursday.
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