The Vail School District blames an ongoing teacher shortage on an unusually high number of resignations and the lack of qualified applicants.
The district has 20 teacher openings and is ready to fill four of the positions pending governing board approval.
Long-term substitute teachers are filling the teacher voids throughout the district. At Desert Sky Middle School, classes have been consolidated, which has increased class sizes, said Superintendent Calvin Baker.
The district has had more than 60 people apply for 16 teaching positions since July, Baker said.
"When I started, we were able to have 100 people per opening. We were able to pick the best of the best," said Baker, who has been superintendent for about 20 years.
The district has lost seven teachers since the school year began in July, Human Resources Director Lisa Cervantez said.
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Four left because their spouses were deployed by the military or were transferred by their employers. One left to pursue a different career. Another teacher left for personal reasons, she said.
"The reasons we're losing people are pretty normal reasons," Baker said.
Increasing demands and low salaries have contributed to the shortage by discouraging potential teachers, he said.
"At the heart of it, it's a market issue of supply and demand," he said.
Vail teacher salaries start at approximately $32,000 a year, he said.
"We're asking a college graduate to put in the time and effort for a minimum wage for a professional," he said.
In addition to the salary, aspiring teachers have to pay $60 for a provisional teaching certificate, more than $50 for a fingerprint clearance card and about $165 to take the Structured English Immersion test, among other things, Cervantez said.
A first-time teacher will pay about $500 just to get in the door, Baker said.
Teachers face other issues once they they get into the classroom.
"Not having enough support in order to teach to a higher standard is one of the issues that could deter teachers," said Cristela Ahuero, a student achievement teacher at Mesquite Elementary School.
Ahuero was referring to the standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.
"Without support, they're feeling a little lost," said Ahuero, a 10-year veteran of the district.
Vail employs a variety of methods to find new teachers, including referral bonuses for current teachers, and hiring substitutes and helping them acquire their state certifications, Cervantez said.
The district also uses word-of-mouth. Baker e-mailed a letter to parents about three weeks ago asking them spread the word to any qualified friends and relatives about the teacher openings.
Even though the shortage has not caused overcrowding in most schools, it has hindered the district's preparation for the AIMS test, he said.
"There are very specific things students have to know to do well on AIMS," he said. "We specify which standards have to be taught by which week." The shortage of teachers interferes with the teaching schedule for AIMS, Baker said.
While some schools have been content to use substitutes, Desert Sky Principal Kevin Carney decided to use certified teachers — at the risk of increasing class sizes.
"I can wait for a great teacher or I could take 25 kids and spread them around," Carney said.
The move increased class sizes from 23 to 26 students per class in seventh grade.
"I felt like it would be best to put them with a qualified teacher," Carney said.
