Oklahoma school districts continue recruiting, hiring with days before start of classes

Tulsa Public Schools reports about 50 unfilled teaching positions the week before students are to start classes. The large number of open positions needed is a common situation with a shortage of graduates with plans to enter the teaching profession.

The much smaller Union Public Schools has five open teaching positions, with plans to fill the jobs with long-term substitutes for the time being.

Hiring Director Jay Loegering said, "The issue still hasn't changed in the State of Oklahoma. We're still only graduating 1,800 teachers a year, and we have 6,000 openings every year, thus the reason we have 4,000 emergency certified positions in the state. Something has to change for that to change in the long run."

A spokesman for Jenks Public Schools said the district had filled all classroom positions, but still needed people for other positions, including custodial and cafeteria staff.