Teacher Shortage Impacts State

The dean of the University of Wyoming College of Education is warning of a looming statewide teacher shortage that some school districts are already feeling.
Education Dean Ray Reutzal says enrollment at the UW College of Education has fallen by 25 percent in recent years. He told the Casper Star-Tribune that open teacher positions used to have dozens of candidates, and now it’s down to a handful. And some top administrators have been warning that they’re already having trouble filling open teacher positions. Additionally, Reutzal pointed out that Wyoming teacher salaries, which average about $58,000, are above the national average but have been stagnant in recent years.
Cody High School Principal Jeremiah Johnston, however, says that the shortage of teachers in his school isn’t due to a shortage of potential hires – it’s due to budget cuts, which have forced administrators to come up with solutions that allow them to have fewer teachers on the payroll while still ensuring a quality education for Cody students.

Johnston says that the trimester system that they moved to this year allows for more classes to be taught by fewer teachers, while still maintaining smaller class sizes.