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Memphis-Shelby County Schools is filling significantly more teaching positions than it has in past years, but still relying on virtual and conditionally licensed hires to take over vacant spots.
As of Sept. 4, 220 of the district’s new teacher hires are not fully licensed, instead holding conditional permits that expire in three years. But gaining licensure comes with high costs, including exams and additional schooling.
MSCS Chief of Human Resources Crystal Oliver said there are 132 vacant classroom teaching positions as of Wednesday, not counting roles that the district has extended offers for that haven’t yet been accepted.
That’s an increase from the 85 open spots without pending offers reported on Aug. 22, but significantly lower than 226 at the beginning of the month.
“The number is very fluid, because we have people that are resigning,” Oliver told Chalkbeat. “We’ve had quite a few retirements since that time, and we are continuing to hire.”
There are no classrooms currently operating without an instructor, Oliver added, with gaps being filled by substitutes and virtual teachers through Proximity Learning. In late May, the Memphis school board approved a $4.6 million contract with the private company for this school year. That amount paid for 100 live online teachers from Proximity Learning in 2024.
Dolores Rivers, director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association, said she thinks high teacher turnover is typical for school districts, especially in the beginning of the year as new educators adjust to realities of the classroom.
“It’s a lot; I mean, I know two people already who have resigned, and this is just day 28,” she told Chalkbeat. “Retirements and resignations happen every other week.”
But MSCS’ vacancy numbers are much lower than the beginning of last school year, when leaders reported nearly 500 vacancies.
Oliver said the HR department was “significantly impacted” by layoffs last July under former Superintendent Marie Feagins. She credits much of the district’s progress this year to having more HR people and resources dedicated to staff hiring.
“I looked at, how could I realign the people that I had and put more emphasis on staffing?” she said. “I’m very confident that going forward, you will continue to see not only a decline [in vacancies], but also more stabilization, because we are able to get fully staffed in HR.”
Oliver said the number of conditional hires stays “pretty much stagnant” from year to year. There’s a big cost barrier to getting certified, she said, which prevents some people from completing the process.
Education preparation programs vary widely in cost in Tennessee, according to a 2022 report from the state department of education, with most charging thousands of dollars. More than two-thirds of surveyed teachers reported having debt because of those programs.
Rivers added it costs a minimum of $150 to take the required Praxis exams, a figure that can grow if aspiring educators don’t pass the first time. She remembers the test catering to smaller school districts, which made some content feel “far-fetched.”
That’s why the district should invest more in Praxis training, Rivers said. She also said there needs to be more focus on retaining teachers in general.
Oliver said many of MSCS’ existing vacancies are in high school math, special education and elementary school. Over one-third of the empty roles are in the iZone, which refers to the district’s lowest-performing schools.
Oliver said she hopes to hold more targeted recruitment events, like job fairs specifically for math teachers, in the coming months.
“My goal is to get to the point that we are more proactive,” she said. “That we are filling jobs based on anticipated retirements, and we’re not struggling to fill openings in the classes.”
Bri Hatch covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Bri at bhatch@chalkbeat.org.
