BY MATT LINDSEY

North Country This Week

St. Lawrence County superintendents are hopeful Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plans to bolster the teaching workforce will bring relief to schools who have struggled with a staffing shortage in recent years.

The pandemic fast-tracked a teacher shortage in St. Lawrence County that was already facing a steep retirement cliff in the coming years. The state will look to address the shortage through a $10 billion investment in training, retention and continuing education for teachers

Gov. Kathy Hochul says the state will phase-in full funding of foundation aid to school districts by the 2023-24 school year. This will mean billions in additional support for schools. Foundation aid is the state’s main education operating aid formula and is focused on allocating funds equitably to all school districts, especially high-need districts, based on student need, community wealth, and regional cost differences.

“I greatly appreciate the governor and the legislature for the significant infusion of much needed school aid to support our students and communities. Settling the long simmering Foundation Aid issue marks a critical investment in schools and the future of our students,” said Massena Central School Superintendent Pat Brady.

Several St. Lawrence County school supers were supportive of the governor’s plan and plan to address the shortages locally.

“While we are optimistic about the outcome of these new incentives and the potential for recruitment of new teachers, we understand that the growing shortage of teachers has many nuances, and we are prepared to continue to take the necessary steps to mitigate its impact,” according to BOCES spokesperson Laken Kelly.

She released a joint statement on behalf of superintendents from Ogdensburg, Lisbon, Potsdam, and Canton.

“Our priority, as always, is the well-being of our students, and we welcome any resources that will allow us to improve the quality of their education,” she said.

Schools must solve the teacher shortage and help students through the academic and social-emotional challenges of the pandemic.

The state plan is to recruit more mental health professionals and place more in schools to assist students who are struggling. The plan focuses on recruiting, retaining and training teachers.

“Teacher and staff shortages are one of the greatest challenges to schools in at least a generation. I appreciate that the Governor is focusing on this critical area by taking measures to attract new people to public education, reduce barriers in the current preparation programs, retain existing staff and incentivize retirees to remain active in the field,” Brady said. “It will require such a comprehensive approach as no single measure will solve this looming crisis.

“The education of our youth is a great calling and we hope more people will be excited to enter this important and worthwhile career,” Brady said.

Enrollment in state teacher education programs are down 53% since 2009, and 33% of teachers are projected to retire within five years. These trends mean New York needs nearly 180,000 new teachers over the next decade to meet workforce needs.

As an immediate step to shore up teacher shortages, the state will provide incentives to attract additional teachers and professionals into schools.

The state will waive the income cap for some of the state’s 169,000 retired teachers, many of which return to teach if it weren’t for limits placed on their earned income as retirees. The cap serves as a disincentive to return to work. The state will incentivize teachers and other school workers to rejoin the workforce by temporarily waiving the $35,000 income limit for certain retirees.

As another incentive, the plan proposes to expand alternative teacher certification programs, to make it easier and more appealing for professionals in other careers to become teachers. Aspiring teachers would apprentice in high-need school districts while pursuing a master’s degree in their field. Participants would also receive a stipend.

The state will also aim to accelerate the teacher certification process allowing qualified teachers to enter classrooms without bureaucratic delays.  

An investment in SED’s teacher certification office will try to reduce review time for teacher certification applications enabling SED to shorten the time from application to final certification of teacher candidates who can be approved to teach in New York immediately.

The plan proposes to reform the state’s certification statute to provisionally approve teachers for immediate work if they meet coursework, fingerprint, and background check requirements. This action would enable teacher candidates to teach while they wait for SED to complete its lengthy approval process. Provisional approval would also be extended to school counselors, social workers, and other SED-licensed professions with current job market shortages, as well as for retirees with expired licenses in good standing. The requirement for SED approval to renew expired licenses for individuals with clean records would be waived, at least during the teacher shortage.