SDUSD to Fill 40 Teaching Positions Before School Year

There are approximately 40 positions available for certified teachers in the San Diego Unified School District

While some school districts across the nation are facing teacher shortages, San Diego Unified School District said staffing should not be a problem for the upcoming school year.

Several media outlets including the New York Times have been reporting on a teacher shortage affecting districts in several states including California. Across the nation, 21,500 positions need to be filled before the 2015-2016 school year, the newspaper reported last week.

Prompting concerns are enrollment in teacher training programs and the number of credentials issued.

The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued 11,497 new credentials for the 2013-2014 school year to teachers trained here. That is down from 16,401 in 2009- 2010 according to figures released in April.

EdSource, a non-partisan not-for-profit that focuses on education issues, reports that enrollments in teacher preparation programs are down 75 percent over the past decade.

In San Francisco, district officials were down to the wire filling open positions. The San Francisco Chronicle, described the hiring as a β€œscramble.”

NBC 7 has learned the number of teacher positions still open within the San Diego State Unified School District is not as significant.

There are approximately 40 positions for certified teachers in Math/Science, Multiple Subject and Special Education still unfilled.

SDUSD spokesperson Ursula Kroemer said the number is approximate because the district bases staffing on projected enrollment and not actual numbers.

SDUSD decided to begin its hiring process early in the year to avoid any dire situations, she added.

The district has 117 elementary schools, 25 middle schools and 24 high schools. Full-time teachers on staff number close to 5,700. Close to 1,900 substitute teachers are employed by the district.

The first day of school for approximately 130,000 K-12 students is September 8.

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