As teacher turnover and vacancies increased in North Carolina during the 2022-23 school year, districts across the state struggled to fully staff their Exceptional Children (EC) departments, according to data released this month from the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
North Carolina had 6,150 teacher vacancies on the first day of the 2022-23 school year, according to DPI’s State of the Teaching Profession report, and 6,006 vacancies on the 40th day of school. Of those, there were 1,203 vacancies for K-12 EC teachers — roughly 20% of the state’s teacher vacancies. These numbers highlight a critical issue in the education system, particularly in specialized areas where qualified educators are in short supply.
While first-year teachers had the highest rate of turnover, the DPI report identified a few department areas with persistent staffing challenges. “Surveys from a majority of the state’s LEAs show that there is a dearth of teachers licensed in the areas of mathematics and elementary education,” the report said. “Finding teachers who are licensed in the area of Exceptional Children also continues to be a challenge for the state’s LEAs.” This lack of licensed professionals further exacerbates the situation, leading to increased vacancies that affect the quality of education for students with special needs.
Across North Carolina, some districts had higher proportions of EC teacher vacancies, according to EdNC’s analysis of DPI’s 40th day vacancy data. Thirteen districts had zero EC vacancies, meaning EC vacancies made up 0% of their total teacher vacancies. In contrast, in seven districts, 50% or more of the district’s vacancies consisted of EC positions. However, in most of those districts, the total number of teacher vacancies was low, indicating that while certain areas are struggling, others are managing to maintain adequate staffing levels.
During the 2022-23 school year, the statewide vacancy rate was 6.4% — up from 5.9% in 2021-22 and 3.4% in 2020-21. Even with such increases, North Carolina has consistently been able to hire enough teachers to replace the ones who left, according to Dr. Tom Tomberlin, senior director of DPI’s Office of Education Preparation and Teacher Licensure. However, because North Carolina does not publish the total number of EC positions by district across the state, it is unclear if EC positions are also being replenished.
DPI counts teacher vacancies in March of every year. State law defines vacancies as teaching positions in a district that are not filled by someone with a qualifying educator license. Those licenses include a continuing professional license (CPL), initial professional license (IPL), residency license (RL), or a limited license. Under that definition, retired teachers, interim teachers, long-term substitutes, and teachers with an emergency or provisional license or a permit to teach do not count as being in a permanent placement.
According to the report, there were 915 more vacancies on the 40th day of school in 2022-23 compared to the year prior. Some districts had more vacancies on the 40th day than the first day. “In many cases, the positions reported as vacant on the first instructional day were different from those reported as vacancies on the 40th instructional day,” the report says. “This suggests that teacher vacancy is a continual issue that LEAs must contend with throughout the school year.” The ongoing nature of these vacancies poses challenges for educational consistency and the delivery of special education services.
EC Students in North Carolina
According to the Institute of Education Sciences 2023 Report on the Condition of Education, “the number of students ages 3–21 receiving special education and/or related services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) increased from 6.4 million in the school year 2010–11 to 7.3 million in school year 2021–22.” This upward trend indicates a growing demand for specialized education services that are often hindered by the lack of qualified teachers.
“Taken as a percentage of total public school enrollment, this equates to an increase from 13 to 15 percent of students,” the report says. Nationally, American Indian/Alaska Native and Black students had the highest percentage of enrollment in IDEA services in 2021-22, at 19% and 17%, respectively. In North Carolina, 186,869 students were enrolled across 18 different EC programs during the 2022-23 school year, according to DPI data. You can see the number of students in each of the 18 programs by district as well.
Approximately 34% of these students (63,869) have a “specific learning disability,” which is the largest EC designation in North Carolina and includes dyslexia, dysgraphia, or anything that interferes with a student’s ability to think, speak, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations. This follows national trends included in the Institute of Education Sciences report, underscoring the need for effective intervention and support.
DPI has an Office of Exceptional Children. The office’s mission is to “assure that students with disabilities and those who are academically or intellectually gifted develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and vocationally through the provision of an appropriate individualized education in the least restrictive environment.” The office’s work is required by federal civil rights law, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Section 504 “prohibits discrimination of students on the bases of a handicapping condition.” Not having enough qualified teachers to serve EC students can put schools at risk of not fulfilling such requirements.
State and District Trends in EC Vacancies
EdNC’s analysis looks at how much of a district’s overall vacancies consist of EC vacancies. In 2022-23, 22% of a district’s vacancies on average were in EC departments, based on 40th day vacancy data — up just slightly from the previous two years. This percentage indicates a significant trend in the distribution of vacancies, emphasizing the ongoing challenge of staffing these essential roles.
In 2022-23, there were 549 K-5 EC vacancies, 325 at the middle school level, and 329 in high school. Keep in mind that North Carolina has more elementary schools than middle and high schools. Here’s a look at the number of EC vacancies in North Carolina over the last three years, per DPI’s data dashboard:
- There were 616 EC vacancies in 2020-21.
- There were 900 EC vacancies in 2021-22. The 2021-22 report lists a higher number of vacancies (992).
- There were 1,203 EC vacancies in 2022-23.
As you can see, based on the data dashboard, there were 303 more openings for EC teachers in the 2022-23 academic year than the previous year. On average, the number of EC vacancies in districts increased by 55% during the 2022-23 school year from the prior year, per EdNC’s analysis.
The number of EC vacancies also nearly doubled from 2020-21 to 2022-23. However, as mentioned above, the state changed the way it counted vacancies during this time. Now, the vacancy count includes classrooms that have a teacher, but not one who is fully licensed.
In 2022-23, 64 districts had more EC openings than the year before. In 36 districts, the number of EC vacancies decreased. The 15 remaining districts had no change. This fluctuation in vacancies across districts highlights the varying challenges faced by local educational authorities.
Here’s a look at the EC vacancies in North Carolina’s three largest school districts:
- The Wake County Public School System has approximately 116 EC vacancies in 2022-23, making up roughly 17% of the system’s total 40th day vacancies. The number of EC vacancies remained the same from the prior year.
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools had approximately 103 EC vacancies in 2022-23, up from 42 the year before. EC vacancies made up 24% of the district’s total vacancies.
- Guilford County Schools had 10 EC vacancies in 2022-23 and in 2021-22. Last year, this made up 40% of the district’s 40th day vacancies.
The challenges of teacher vacancies, especially in the EC departments, continue to impact the education system in North Carolina. As the number of students requiring specialized services increases, the urgency to address staffing shortages becomes more critical.
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