Report: State test, ‘unclear’ requirements, and costs may be barriers in teacher pipeline

As Virginia school divisions continue to face teacher shortages, a state oversight agency found a state-required licensure test, potentially “unclear” licensure requirements and teacher preparation costs may be significant barriers for applicants.

According to a Sept. 12 report from Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts analysis and provides oversight of state agencies on behalf of the General Assembly, those factors are likely contributing to problems with getting sufficient teachers into the job pipeline.

JLARC’s study follows reports from numerous Virginia school divisions that they are struggling to recruit qualified teachers. At the start of the current school year, Danville recorded the highest teacher vacancy rate in the state, at 40.4%, followed by Charles City County at 21.5%, the report states.

According to data from the Virginia Department of Education, the state’s teacher vacancy rate overall grew by 0.8% to 3.9% from 2021-22 to 2022-23. The teacher vacancy rate was 4.8% at the start of the current school year.

In response, the commonwealth has begun relying more on provisionally licensed educators. Over the past decade, the percentage of Virginia’s teaching pool that was fully licensed dropped from 94% to 84%, while provisionally licensed teachers grew from 4% to 8%, according to JLARC. The state has also partnered with a for-profit online teacher credentialing company in an effort to fast-track teachers into the classroom.

However, while JLARC offered several recommendations to improve Virginia’s teacher preparation and licensure processes, it cautioned that “Virginia’s teacher shortage will not materially improve until the root causes of the shortage are addressed.”