Teacher shortages are nothing new in Flagler County. Teacher shortages are a problem that affects more than just Flagler; they affect Florida and many other areas of the United States. We recently had the chance to sit down and talk with a local parent, Kathy Barnett, who has been trying to bring the conversation to life in Flagler. Read the interview below, with our questions in bold followed by her answers.
How many children do you have in Flagler Schools? I have one child, a son, sophomore at Matanzas.
What is your biggest concern with the teacher shortage in Flagler County? My biggest concern happened last August when my child started 9th grade ELA with no assigned teacher. They used an online curriculum called Edgenuity and had a sub in the class to keep the order. However, they were unable to answer questions or provide any guidance. A teacher was hired in November but lasted a few weeks and quit. A new teacher was hired in February and then resigned at the beginning of April.
How does this teacher shortage affect the students and their education in your opinion? Can you give us some examples of how this affects them? I believe students are affected by not having a teacher in the classroom academically but also emotionally. They may appear to be excited to have a sub for a few days but long term they lose focus, they are bored and not challenged. According to 9th grade ELA standards there are 15 pages of items that are supposed to be taught. My child read zero books, and 1 poem, and the only essay he wrote was the state test! I have to give a shoutout to the curriculum coach who went out of her way to help my son stay on track and spoke with me on several occasions about what he needed to do to keep his grades up. She called me after test scores came back and we discussed the plan for 10th grade and how to play catch up. In Flagler, we were only on lockdown for 3 months, and some students are still trying to catch up. Imagine the learning loss after 180 days!
How do we get Flagler County out of this teacher shortage? How do we help Flagler County Students receive the education they deserve even while there is a teacher shortage? I am at a loss on why no one is discussing this as I have been vocal since August 2023. I went to the town hall at the Carver Center and asked Superintendent Moore what was her plan B. She gave me the generic response of we are aggressively hiring and trying to provide incentives. Over the next few months, I spoke up at the school board meetings, and I spoke to my son’s guidance counselor, curriculum coach, and principal. I spoke directly to school board members who were heading up to Tallahassee, I begged her to speak to others and see what other counties were dealing with the shortages. My frustrations grew as I was making no progress locally, the board refused to workshop it or share any information after visiting Tallahassee. I sent a few letters to DeSantis and the education department and still waiting for a response. Last year we had 530 students affected by the teacher shortage and this year we could potentially have approximately 2000 students affected. This issue is not going away and we need to work together to figure out how to support the students.
Have you thought of any solutions to the teacher shortage? What are some suggestions you have heard from others about how this issue can be solved? I am confident that Flagler Schools are doing everything in their power to recruit, hire, and retain teachers. What needs to happen immediately is a plan B for the students. The student is required to maintain grades, GPA, attendance, and state testing, when are Flagler Schools and the education department going to be held accountable for their part?
I do not have all the answers on how to support the students but I am confident that if we all work together we can find a solution. We have to because our children deserve it. Some suggestions would be combining two class discussions. They could hold a lecture in the auditorium which would allow for open dialogue to discuss a poem. One idea that would appease all parties and could be helpful immediately is having district employees go into the classroom for a few days to discuss a book or provide feedback on writing an essay. I know this may not be ideal and inconvenient for them but we must do something and do it quickly. Let’s be the first county to figure this out however we have to start the conversation. We can no longer be complacent with our children’s education.
