Mississippi education officials report mixed trends in teacher vacancies, highlight retention initiatives

Mississippi Department of Education officials told the commission on Jan. 10 that statewide educator vacancies have fallen since the first survey year in 2021 but some subject areas showed year-over-year increases.

Dr. Van Cleave, presenting the department's annual educator workforce update, told commissioners the Office of Teaching and Leading launched the shortage survey on Aug. 20, 2024, and closed it Nov. 1, 2024. "For the fourth year running, 100% of Mississippi's traditional public school districts completed the survey," she said, summarizing district-reported vacancies and locally generated shortage strategies.

The update matters because teacher shortages affect classroom staffing and district operations across grade spans. The department rolled the survey into a regional picture that, officials said, helps target policy and recruitment efforts.

Dr. Van Cleave said licensed educator vacancies have decreased overall since 2021 but rose in several categories compared with last year. She told the commission that upper elementary (grades 4–6) remains one of the larger areas of need though those vacancies have declined over four years; pre-kindergarten vacancies have increased from a smaller base; middle-school math remains a prominent need with 36 vacancies reported; and STEM-related high school openings (including algebra) have generally increased. She also said K–12 special education continues to be one of the largest shortage areas and has experienced the largest year-over-year increase in vacancies.

Support and administrator vacancies continued to decline, Van Cleave said, but some support categories showed small upticks compared with last year. She said speech-language vacancies have increased when rolled up across regions.

To address shortages, the department outlined three strategies it plans to pursue this year: launching an educator talent portal (described in the presentation as the "educator talent portal in Mecca") to advertise openings statewide and nationally at no cost to districts; a comprehensive review of educator licensure guidelines focused on elementary education, special education and mathematics; and a leadership initiative called Mississippi LEADS (Leading Education Achievement in Districts and Schools) to strengthen administrator development and retention.

Commissioners asked whether the vacancy changes correspond with enrollment declines; Van Cleave said the department has not previously asked that question on the annual survey but will explore correlations and consider a recommendation to pursue that analysis.

Dr. Corey Murphy, who introduced the item, thanked staff and commissioners for their work and for the statewide participation in the survey. The presentation concluded with a request for questions and for commissioners to consider the department's next steps on licensure policy and workforce supports.

The department provided the survey dates and described limits and next steps but did not propose a formal vote on the workforce report; it was presented for information.