Signing incentive, returning retirees have reduced APSD teacher shortage woes

   Technically, the Avoyelles Parish School District has 19 “critical need” openings for teachers as school opens this Thursday.

   Actually, as of press time this past Monday there was only one teacher vacancy -- and that one seemed likely to be filled before the opening bell.

  Although many of the “vacancies” are filled with certified teachers who have retired, Assistant Superintendent Thelma Prater said state law requires the district advertise those slots as vacant before the School Board can hire a retired teacher.

  The Avoyelles School District has 332 teachers. Of those, 24 are retirees who have returned to the classroom. There are 46 teachers who are non-certified but working towards their teacher certification.

   If a certified teacher applies for one of the advertised vacancies, “we will hire the teacher to replace a non-certified teacher,” Prater said. “We will keep the retired certified teacher.”

   In past years, the school system has had teaching vacancies in the double digits when school starts, Prater noted. Last year, the school system had five on the first day of school. This year, it is expecting no more than one, and could be none.

   Besides relying on returning retirees to fill otherwise vacant teaching positions, the parish also approved some financial incentives to attract new teachers to the parish.

  The School Board provides a $5,000 signing incentive to certified teachers who are hired from outside the parish and agree to teach at one of the district’s six “under-performing schools” -- Marksville and Bunkie high schools and Bunkie, Cottonport, Marksville and Riverside elementaries.

  There is a $3,000 signing incentive for new teachers assigned to the schools rated “B” and “C” -- Lafargue and Plaucheville elementaries and LaSAS and Avoyelles high schools.