Public School Forum report shows teacher vacancies across North Carolina

The Public School Forum actively works toward advancing equitable educational opportunities, and Howell said this report looks to do right by kids, their families and teachers.

Farea Khan, the principal of Al-Iman School in Raleigh, said as a private school, Al-Iman has many teachers who tend to stay long-term, aiding in the school’s retention rates.

Al-Iman implemented added benefits for the 2023-24 school year to support teacher retention, Khan said.

She said Al-Iman does little things to boost teacher morale, including adding more teacher wellness days.

Al-Iman has been able to implement the Public School Forum’s report’s suggestion of ensuring financial viability and stability for teachers by adding salary increases because it can sometimes be easier to obtain salary approvals as a private school, Khan said.  

Bryan Proffitt, the vice president of the North Carolina Association for Educators, said there is a crisis in public education across the country. He said his understanding of the teacher retention crisis is anecdotal. 

“What it looks like is kids getting to school late because we are not paying bus drivers enough so we can’t fill those positions,” he said. “What it looks like is kids being in classes that are taught by permanent or long-term subs because we don’t have qualified people in the classroom.”

Oznur Hatip, a teacher at Green Level High School in Cary, said while class sizes are getting larger after the pandemic, many educators have left the teaching profession.

She also said she thinks teacher pay is low in North Carolina because of a lack of a teacher unions, and that it is “really challenging each year for the school to find good certified teachers” because of wages. 

“We are getting so many people, they are moving from different states, housing is increasing exponentially, but the school capacities are almost the same,” she said. 

@DTHCityState | city@dailytarheel.com