Posted: Jan 31, 2022 / 7:16 p.m. EST
/ Updated: 31 Jan 2022 / 10:40 PM EST
INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow K-12 schools to grant additional teaching permits to prospective instructors.
The Indiana House and Senate have each been working on bills to make this pass: House Bill 1251 passed the House Monday, and Senate Bill 356 is expected to receive a vote Tuesday.
The teacher shortage in Indiana remains a huge burden on many schools. About 700 teaching positions are currently open statewide, according to officials.
“We wanted to create choice and flexibility for our school administrators,” said Tim McRoberts, executive director of the Indiana Association of Principals.
The McRoberts group and several others supported the creation of additional teaching permits.
“We’re definitely seeing more teacher shortages when it comes to special education, and we have more emergency clearances in special education than we do in any other course,” said Hannah Carlock, director of public policy for The Arc of Indiana.
Under a bill being considered at Statehouse, additional teachers will need a certain amount of work experience in the subject they wish to teach. The district will decide whether a permit is granted.
Under State Senator Linda Rogers (R-Granger) law, the teachers would only work part-time.
“Just complements the current teachers we have in our schools,” Rogers said. “For example, if, say, a school company wants to offer advanced chemistry or advanced physics.”
Opponents worry about the quality of education that students will receive under additional instructors.
“While someone may have content knowledge in a particular area does not mean that they also have training in how to interact and work with students,” said Keith Gambil, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association.
Gambil said he was also concerned about how this might impact regular teacher salaries.
He and others said they believed there was a better way the state could address the teacher shortage in Indiana.
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