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DOE presents teacher pipelines and retention work; JFC members press on staffing and working conditions
Summary
Department officials described multiple strategies to recruit and retain educators — Teacher Academy, Grow Your Own, teacher residencies, expanded licensing pathways and induction programs — and answered committee questions about vacancies, local staffing pressures and conditions that cause teachers to leave the profession.
Department leaders briefed the Joint Finance Committee on statewide efforts to reduce teacher shortages and support retention, including career‑pathway programs for high‑school students, paraprofessionals and college students; multi‑year induction programs; and alternative licensure routes.
Rick Konish, associate secretary for workforce support, said Delaware has expanded pipelines from high school through college and into teaching. He described Teacher Academy, which enrolls high‑school students in education programming and is supported by House Bill 332; Grow Your Own initiatives that recruit paraprofessionals and support them to complete bachelor’s degrees; and teacher residencies and alternative certification pathways that shorten time to licensure, including a 91‑day pathway in lieu of student teaching in some cases. “Teacher Academy currently enrolls just over 3,700 high school students in educational programming that focuses on entering the teaching profession,” Konish said.
Committee members pressed department leaders on vacancies and whether alternative pathways could affect classroom quality. Senators and representatives described classroom pressures — high ratios, mixed‑ability inclusion classrooms without co‑teacher support, and student behavior demands — and asked how DOE and districts would ensure conditions for teacher success. Secretary Martin framed the issue as a combination of recruitment and working conditions: “Teachers go to college to learn to teach. When students have additional needs that are beyond the teacher's skills and training, it takes a whole of community approach,” she said, adding that compensation, mentoring and professional growth opportunities are part of retention.
Department officials said some districts continue to report vacancy rates and that the state has made progress in growing its workforce; Konish cited a 6% growth from pre‑pandemic measures in a national recognition and a fall survey that showed about 260 open positions at the start of the school year (roughly 3% of the workforce). Staff offered to provide a detailed vacancy breakdown by district and school for committee follow‑up.
