Teacher shortage in region reaching crisis level

The shortage of teachers in northern Montana has reached crisis levels, superintendents from three rural Montana districts said in a panel discussion with the Montana University Board of Regents last Friday at Montana State University-Northern.

The meeting took place on the final day of the Regents two-day meeting at Northern.

Superintendents Andy Carlson of Havre, Brad Moore of Big Sandy and Rene Rasmussen of Bainville spoke about the difficulty of finding applicants willing to relocate and the difficulty in filling primary and secondary school teacher positions.

“We’re kind of beat up," Carlson said. “It’s a struggle to try and find people to replace our folks.”

Carlson said often when he is able to fill positions, it comes at the expense of his peers in other districts.

“I am stealing math teachers,” Carlson said. “I am stealing English teachers, and then I look across the table, and it's from the folks that are my colleagues.”

Carlson said the situation is more than a problem, adding that the pool of qualified applicants “is just not there.”

Moore said his rural district faces a similar situation.

“For most of the jobs, we feel fortunate to get one qualified applicant,” Moore said.

It wasn’t always that way.

Moore said that 10 years ago, hiring teachers was a much simpler task.

Rather than seeking out applicants, Moore said, they had applicants coming to them.

They were able to find qualified individuals for positions that are usually hard to fill, such as those in math and special education.

Moore said now districts have to go out to just find people to apply.

Rasmussen said that in her northeastern Montana school district, they have trouble even finding qualified teachers at career fairs in western North Dakota.

All three superintendents said having a teacher prep program at Northern has been a lifeline to their schools.

Carlson said 55 percent of his teaching staff either received an undergraduate or graduate degree from Northern, including 80 percent of those who are American Indians.

Moore said 50 percent of his staff of certified teachers received degrees or endorsements from Northern.

He said that just this spring he has hired two graduates from Northern to start teaching in Big Sandy.

Moore said that many candidates are unwilling to move to the Hi-Line to accept a teaching due to its rural setting.

He said that Big Sandy has offered candidates for positions such benefits as a four-day school week, health benefits and a competitive salary.

“Those incentives get people to look at my school, but what I can’t control is the 260 miles that separates me from our other major universities,” he said.

He said that he looks for people who understand the region since many from outside the area have a hard time adjusting to working in such small schools.

“The more graduates I can hire out of Northern the better my chances of retaining those teachers for the long haul,“ Moore said.

Even those teachers in his school that have not graduated from Northern have some connection to the Hi-Line.

He said, though, that there are not enough students coming out of Northern to keep up with the needs of schools.