© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

St. Louis District Makes Changes Amid Teacher Shortage

St. Louis schools are trying a new approach to hiring teachers as Missouri districts face a teacher shortage.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that St. Louis Public Schools opened a staff recruitment office last year to address issues in hiring that district officials say has likely contributed to the large turnover rate. Officials say it's typical to have 100 or more teaching vacancies during the school year.

District officials hope the office helps them be smarter about searching for and selecting teachers. There was previously no set standard for hiring across schools.

Anna Westlund was recently appointed as the district's recruitment director. She says the office screens all applications within 48 hours. Candidates are first interviewed by phone before meeting with principals in person and teaching a sample lesson.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.