Could Houston-area schools face an even bigger teacher shortage this fall? – Houston Public Media

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Last fall, Houston Matters reported on growing concerns about the teacher shortage in Texas. It’s a problem that unfortunately persists as school districts across the state and across the country prepare to navigate another school year with fewer teachers available than needed.

Here in Houston, with layoffs in area districts and the recent restructuring of HISD, as well as the likely departure of several experienced teachers to seek employment in other districts, how much of a bigger issue could this become for Houston area schools next year?

In the audio above, Houston Matters producer Garrett Bohlmann discusses what’s behind the nationwide teacher shortage with Dr. Heath Morrison, a former longtime superintendent and CEO of Teachers of Tomorrow, a company that guides aspiring teachers through the certification process and matches them with districts in need.

Houston Matters host Craig Cohen then asks Dr. Cathy Horn, dean of the University of Houston College of Education, for a reaction and speaks with one of the veteran teachers who recently left HISD for neighboring Fort Bend ISD — Jennifer Mathieu. As she explained in a recent Houston Chronicle op-ed, this isn’t the first time she’s felt underappreciated in Houston public schools and is leaving. Mathieu is also a writer — her novel Moxie was made into a Netflix film in 2021. Her latest novel, her debut adult fiction book, which just came out, is called The teachers’ roomAs she tells us, she calls it a “love letter to educators.”

Joshua Zinn/Houston Public Media