Mississippi News, a non-profit organization. Despite a critical teacher shortage, Mississippi legislators failed to pass any concrete measures. During the 2019 legislative session, at least 19 teacher shortage bills were presented. None of them passed. “It is very disappointing that the Legislature hasn’t addressed the teacher shortage. Nancy Loome, executive director at The Parents’ Campaign, stated that thousands of children are being taught by substitute teachers. Some of these teachers are not certified to teach any subject. There were several common themes in the bills to solve the teacher shortage. * Creating a third option to teacher candidates for their license with a 3.0 GPA (current options include passing Praxis Core or scoring 21 on ACT). * Funding a pilot program to give teacher leaders tuition assistance (this was aimed to increase teacher retention). * Providing tuition aid to help non-teachers become teacher leaders * Developing a license for those who teach in areas of shortage. The Legislature did provide $500,000 for forgivable loans to teachers who are willing to teach in those areas. However, it is not clear whether the three or one program. The loan will not be available to all applicants. In 2018, 54 teachers and teacher candidates were eligible for state assistance through forgivable loans. That year, there were more than 2,100 teaching positions open and 2,256 uncertified teachers in the state. Rep. Richard Bennett (R-Long Beach), chairman of the house education panel, stated that he wasn’t sure why the teacher shortage bills didn’t get through. “I don’t know, honestly. I’m looking into what we can do to address these shortages. He said that he believes we need to think outside the box and that he will make it a priority to find ways to bring people to these areas, particularly in the Delta. Bennett sponsored two bills specifically designed to address the teacher shortage. Two teacher shortage bills were also sponsored by Orlando Paden (D-Clarksdale). He expressed his confusion about why the bills failed to pass and said that he could not “fathom why anybody would not bring out bills that will help our district.” The teacher shortage in the Delta is even more severe, as in some districts, as many as a third are not certified. These bills were not passed, meaning that the state will not continue to provide innovative assistance to areas with a shortage of teachers. Senator Gray Tollison (R-Oxford), who is the outgoing chairman of the senate education committee, said that some of these bills failed to pass because there wasn’t enough money to implement the proposed legislation. He said, “It was money component.” “It was a money component.” Evereth Stanton (board president of West Bolivar Consolidated Schools District) stated that it was already difficult to attract teachers to the Delta. Stanton said that he feels the legislators don’t give enough thought to what the Delta education system needs. He said that legislators should visit the Delta school districts to see the real issues and how the teacher shortage is affecting these schools. The teacher shortage is disproportionately affecting the Delta and it has been dragging on for over two decades with no robust efforts to resolve it. Some people in the region see it as another example of people who turn a blind eye towards those most in need. To a degree, there is a certain amount of classism. Desoto County doesn’t have teacher shortage issues. Clinton does not have a teacher shortage problem. Clarksdale Municipal School District educator Marcus Johnson said that attractive areas don’t face this problem. It seems that the Delta’s most poor schools are being ignored in terms of their need and how they are not allowed in the educational decisions. Support this work by making a regular donation to our Spring Member Drive. We will continue to do important work such as this one. Our reporters give a human face to policy and the lives of Mississippians by listening more closely and understanding their communities. To ensure that our work is aligned with the priorities and needs of all Mississippians, we are listening to you. Click the button below to let us know what you think.