Districts scramble to hire enough teachers

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

Ohio’s largest school district has had trouble filling its teacher vacancies for the 2015-16 school year, and it’s not alone.

Urban districts tend to see teachers move to jobs in the suburbs, and an increase in teacher retirements around Ohio compounded the problem this year, The Columbus Dispatch reported Monday.

The Columbus school district has more than 430 new teachers and was still trying to fill 17 spots two weeks before the start of classes. It had more lingering vacancies than smaller districts in the area, but its situation paled in comparison with some big, urban districts around the country that are scrambling to find candidates for hundreds of teaching jobs.

Urban districts tend to lose teachers in high-need areas, such as high school science and math, to suburban districts, where salaries and work conditions are considered to be better.