Indiana

Following a nationwide trend, Indiana's teacher vacancies persist • Indiana Capital Chronicle

Published

1 month ago

November 8, 2024

Following a nationwide trend, Indiana's teacher vacancies persist • Indiana Capital Chronicle

New federal data shows that the majority of the country’s public K–12 schools had difficulty hiring fully-certified teachers heading into the current academic year — and Indiana districts are not immune to vacancies.

Officials at nearly 75% of public schools nationwide said they had trouble filling one or more vacant teaching positions before kicking off the 2024-25 school year, according to a survey study released by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics.

The School Pulse Panel data published by NCES showed one-fifth of vacant teacher positions remained unfilled at the start of this school year — with many ongoing vacancies. As of Thursday, the Indiana Department of Education’s job board listed more than 1,300 available educator jobs statewide.

That’s an improvement from earlier this year. As of June, there were more than 2,200 vacancies for teaching positions statewide and nearly 1,000 openings for other jobs within school districts.

It’s a hopeful drop, too, compared to in 2022, when — not long after the COVID-19 pandemic — IDOE’s job board listed 4,200 open jobs within Indiana schools. More than 2,500 of the open positions posted were teaching jobs.

But many openings remain. Most of the unfilled positions in Indiana are for elementary, early childhood and special education positions.

The NCES data, collected in August, came from 1,392 participating public K–12 schools from every state and the District of Columbia. NCES did not release state-by-state numbers, however, instead releasing only aggregate country-wide results.

Areas with the most vacancies

On average, public schools reported having six open teacher positions before the start of the current academic year. By the first day of school, 79% of those positions were filled, according to NCES.

National survey results indicated that general elementary teaching positions, special education and English language arts positions were among the most commonly cited by public schools as having at least one teaching position to fill prior to the start of this school year. Special education remained the most difficult teaching position to hire for this year.

In the Hoosier state, 1,370 teaching positions were listed on IDOE’s jobs board as of Thursday. More than 2,600 school openings were available, overall.

A breakdown of specific teaching vacancies included:

15 in alternative education
23 in arts
25 in career and technical education
332 in early childhood
234 in elementary education
36 in ENL/ESL
33 in foreign language
58 in language arts
8 in library
77 in mathematics
25 in music
25 in physical education
77 in science
39 in social studies
286 in special education – 286
369 in other teaching positions

Why vacancies persist

Compared to the national estimate, public schools with a student body made up of less than 25% students of color reported filling a higher percentage of vacancies with fully certified teachers, per the NCES survey.

Schools with a student body made up of more than 75% students of color, as well as those in high-poverty neighborhoods, reported more vacancies.

Teacher shortages — especially in certain subject areas, like English-as-a-second-language classes and special education — have been particularly challenging for schools since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the NCES report.

Teaching salaries have also largely failed to keep up with inflation, and teachers’ morale declined following the pandemic. National experts cited increased issues with student behavior and a rise in mental health problems as contributing factors, too.

Still, the NCES survey results also noted that 64% of schools said “an overall lack of qualified candidates” and “too few candidates” applying for open positions were the top challenges in finding teachers to fill vacancies.

Compared to years past, though, the percentage of schools saying candidates felt like salary and benefits were not enough dropped for both teaching and non-teaching staff.

Indiana’s latest teacher compensation report revealed that Hoosier teachers’ average annual pay exceeded $60,000 for the 2023-24 academic year — a new high for pay.

The average teacher salary in Indiana during the last school year was recorded at $60,557 — up from $58,531 the year prior — and nearly all Hoosier school districts gave teachers a raise. But many teachers in the state — especially those with little to no experience — still make less.

IDOE has targeted teacher recruitment with multiple grants and other programming to increase the number of Indiana teachers and cut down on lingering vacancies, including the I-SEAL program — run by the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning — that allows current teachers, including those on emergency permits, to get fully licensed in special education at no cost.

More than 1,100 teachers have enrolled in the program, and nearly 600 have completed it since its inception in 2021.

Nearly 3,600 new-to-teaching hires were also brought into schools during 2023-24, according to the most recent state data.

Separately, 4,464 full-time teachers who already had classroom experience were hired by districts across the state.

Indiana numbers further showed 55,971 teachers were retained in 2023-24 from the previous year. That’s compared to 55,227, the year before. There were 55,682 teachers who stayed in classrooms in 2021-22, and 56,999 in 2020-21.

Additionally, an education plan released by Republican governor-elect Mike Braun called for raises to Hoosier teachers’ base salaries, and “guaranteed” professional benefits like new parent leave, as well as improved health insurance options.

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Indiana

Report: Quarterback Tayven Jackson Enters Transfer Portal

Published

33 minutes ago

December 22, 2024

Press Room

Report: Quarterback Tayven Jackson Enters Transfer Portal

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – When Tayven Jackson announced his intention to transfer to Indiana from Tennessee before the 2023 season, it caused a ripple of excitement.

In the end, it didn’t work out for Jackson at Indiana. After two years with the Hoosiers, Jackson is expected to move on.

On3.com’s Pete Nakos posted on X on Saturday that Jackson entered the transfer portal.

Indiana quarterback Tayven Jackson has entered the transfer portal, @On3sports has learned.
Former Tennessee transfer and top-200 recruit.https://t.co/wMrfFrdlE6 pic.twitter.com/wVMmesvYfN
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— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) December 21, 2024

Jackson played in 13 games for the Hoosiers during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He threw for 1,300 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions during his Indiana career.

Jackson compiled the majority of his production during the 2023 season when he started the first six games of the 2023 season. Brendan Sorsby started the games in the second half of the season for the Hoosiers.

Sorsby transferred to Cincinnati after the 2023 season, but Jackson stuck with the Indiana program when 2023 coach Tom Allen was replaced by Curt Cignetti.

Cignetti recruited Kurtis Rourke out of Ohio University from the transfer portal and Jackson never seemed to be seriously considered as the starting quarterback. Jackson did settle in as the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Tyler Cherry and Alberto Mendoza.

Jackson played in four games in a reserve role before he got the chance to start against Washington on Oct. 26 after Rourke injured his thumb. Jackson led Indiana to a 31-17 victory over the Huskies as he completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Those proved to be the last passes Jackson threw in an Indiana uniform – though he did appear in two more games and had three rushing attempts in the regular season finale against Purdue.

Rourke is also out of eligibility so Indiana is in the market for a quarterback.

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Indiana

Social media reacts to Indiana, SMU’s decisive losses in College Football Playoff

Published

8 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Social media reacts to Indiana, SMU’s decisive losses in College Football Playoff

From the moment the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff bracket was revealed, a debate raged over who was and wasn’t included in the field.

Should SMU, despite a loss to Clemson in the ACC championship game, have earned the final at-large berth over Alabama? Was Indiana, even with a gaudy 11-1 record, worthy of a spot despite what ended up being a softer-than-expected schedule in the Big Ten?

The start of playoff games this week didn’t end those arguments. If anything, it only intensified them.

The Hoosiers and Mustangs both suffered double-digit, largely lopsided road losses in the first round of the playoff. On Friday night, No. 10 seed Indiana fell to No. 7 seed Notre Dame 27-17 in a game it trailed by 24 with two minutes remaining while No. 11 seed SMU was drubbed by No. 6 Penn State 38-10 Saturday afternoon.

People from across the country who follow the sport — broadcasters, writers, analysts and even coaches — reacted to the results, with some using them as a justification for their belief that the playoff selection committee made mistakes on who it allowed in the field. Many of the loudest complaints came from the SEC, which had the second-most teams in the field, with three, but had three three-loss teams — Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina — among the first teams left out of the playoff.

Here’s a sampling of the reaction to Indiana and SMU’s CFP losses:

Social media reacts to Indiana, SMU College Football Playoff losses

Indiana and SMU losing their College Football Playoff games by a combined 38 points in dominant fashion raised a variety of opinions, with some believing it to be an indictment of the playoff committee for selecting the Hoosiers and Mustangs for the final two at-large spots.

Others, though, countered with an argument that Indiana and SMU had pieced together playoff-worthy resumes and deserved to make the field, regardless of how they fared in their games this week.

Lane Kiffin trolls CFP committee

The loudest, or at least most prominent, voice piling on Indiana and SMU’s struggles was Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin, whose squad was the third team left out of the playoff.

Many, however, rightfully pointed out that Kiffin’s 9-3 Rebels team could have made the playoff had it simply won at home against a 4-8 Kentucky team that managed only one victory in SEC play this season.

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Indiana

Indiana's Curt Cignetti Learned Valuable Lesson in Keeping Your Mouth Shut | Deadspin.com

Published

16 hours ago

December 21, 2024

Press Room

Indiana's Curt Cignetti Learned Valuable Lesson in Keeping Your Mouth Shut | Deadspin.com

“Don’t write a check with your mouth that your ass can’t cash.”

My mom once told me that growing up. Can’t quite remember why. Somebody should probably tell that to Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, who did a lot of talking all season long just to get demoralized in the first round of the College Football Playoff.

Way back when Cignetti got hired in November 2023 after a successful run with James Madison University, he was asked about how he plans on getting recruits to come to an Indiana program that appeared to be rebuilding.

“Google me,” Cignetti said. “I win.”

Cignetti backed that statement up. He landed starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke in December and running backs Justice Ellison and Ty Son Lawton.

The season could not have started any better for Cignetti’s Hoosiers, as their unbeaten 10-0 record had the attention of the nation before getting curb stomped 38-15 by Ohio State.

Before his first real test against the Buckeyes, Cignetti said, “Ohio State sucks,” at halftime of an Indiana basketball game. Bulletin board material? Sure seemed that was as Ohio State quarterback Will Howard went viral for “putting out the cig” celebration after thrashing the Hoosiers in Columbus.

That should have been Cignetti’s first lesson: to keep his yap shut. He did not learn.

Indiana bounced back from that loss with a 66-0 rout of the Purdue Boilermakers. Despite Purdue’s hapless 1-11 record, that victory put the wind right back in Cignetti’s sails before their College Football Playoff matchup with Notre Dame.

“We don’t just beat top 25 teams, we beat the shit out of them.”

That’s what Cignetti actually said on the set of ESPN’s College Game Day just hours before the Hoosiers kicked off with the Fighting Irish. It’s important to note that despite Cignetti’s impressive 11-1 record in his first year coaching Indiana, literally none of those victories came against Top 25 teams.

To make things even more hilarious, No. 5 Notre Dame completely embarrassed Indiana in a game where the Hoosiers looked like they did not belong on that same stage.

It’s a friendly reminder for the new coach of Indiana to just keep his mouth shut. Every time he opened it this year, he paid the price. It’s part of what made Indiana a story for a little while, but when the lights were the brightest, Cignetti’s team wasn’t as bold as his comments to the media.

That’s never a good thing.

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