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Georgia panel outlines multi‑agency plan to fix teacher pipeline, flags 5,300 vacancies
Summary
A PSC‑led roundtable convened under Senate Resolution 237 proposed pathways, recruitment and retention measures — from apprenticeships and marketing to substitute pay and salary‑schedule reviews — after state data showed about 5,300 vacancies and roughly 6,700 under‑certified positions in December.
Dr. Jody Barrow, representing the Professional Standards Commission, told a joint meeting of the state House and Senate education committees that the state faces a teacher pipeline ‘‘tipping point’’ after a December snapshot showed roughly 5,300 classroom vacancies and about 6,700 positions filled by educators who were not fully certified. ‘‘Folks in Georgia, we can do better than that,’’ Barrow said during a presentation of a draft strategic plan developed under Senate Resolution 237.
The roundtable Barrow described collected input from more than a dozen agencies and associations, including the Department of Education, DECAL, the Teacher Retirement System, the University System of Georgia, the Technical College System of Georgia and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. The group produced a draft executive summary of recommendations to be delivered in full by Dec. 1. Barrow said the roundtable has focused its work on four main areas: pathways into teaching, elevating the value of the profession, statewide marketing, and leadership development, with cross‑cutting work on data and technology to break agency silos.
On pathways, presenters recommended expanding career pipelines — for example, articulation agreements between technical colleges and universities, registered apprenticeship pilots, TAP (Teacher as a Profession) programs and programs to help paraprofessionals move into certified teacher roles. Ben McCumbers of the Technical College System of Georgia described efforts to align credits and expand apprenticeship models so career changers and military veterans can enter teaching more easily.
The values working group proposed changes to support teachers’ daily work, including steps to increase unencumbered planning time and to update the state substitute pay rate. ‘‘That $18.75 figure has been static since QBE,’’ Margaret Ciccarelli told the committee, and the group recommended exploring an increase; presenters discussed a $25/day proposal as a pragmatic near‑term change. The plan also recommends reducing cost barriers to educator preparation and considering HOPE grant eligibility for certain teacher pathways.
Lawmakers pressed presenters on compensation and long‑term retention. Barrow and members noted that Georgia’s step salary schedule currently stops adding longevity steps after roughly 21 years, which several members tied to retention challenges for veteran educators. Barrow said the group included a $3,000 teacher tax‑credit among the ideas and suggested further actuarial study before changing TRS benefits. ‘‘We don't want to hurt TRS in any way,’’ Barrow said.
Committee members also raised operational questions: how to convert paraprofessionals into certified teachers without forcing them to give up income or benefits during student teaching, how districts might sponsor candidates through preparation, and whether the state should invest in a statewide articulation coordinator to align transfers and credits. Presenters said many recommendations would require phased funding and local partnerships; an initial statewide total in early drafts had been in the tens of millions (committee discussion referenced a prior figure near $78 million before refinements).
Next steps: the roundtable will finalize recommendations and submit a strategic plan by Dec. 1 and the committee signaled interest in following up on cost estimates, pilot program designs and measures to monitor certification and student‑outcome impacts.
