<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0HPk5C_1GoJgMbJ00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0HPk5C_1GoJgMbJ00" width="1200" height="600" >TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Tens of thousands of classrooms across Texas are being led by uncertified teachers, this prompted the state to give several school districts extended time to meet certification mandates amid an ongoing educator shortage, but the need is still high.Under a state law signed last year by Gov. Greg Abbott, uncertified teachers must be phased out of teaching core subjects by the 2027–28 school year. However, persistent staffing challenges have pushed the state to grant waivers delaying that deadline to 2029 for several East Texas districts, including Tyler, Longview, and Nacogdoches.According to Texas Education Agency data, the number of uncertified teachers in Texas classrooms has more than tripled since 2019, when nearly 4% of teachers lacked certification. That total surged to more than 42,000 during the 2024–25 school year.For education major Janette Aguilar, who is graduating this December and plans to be fully certified, the shortage is impossible to ignore.“We need teachers. We do need teachers. It’s sad to see that there’s a lot of schools that have a shortage,” Aguilar said.Aguilar interned at an East Texas school district where she witnessed the strain firsthand, stepping in to help students who had nowhere else to turn.“They didn’t have enough resources to help out two students, and I was their only hope,” Aguilar said. “I got to translate all the stuff that they needed. And it was sad to see that they were struggling, and there was no kind of resources for them in that school.”Universities are actively working with local districts to address the pipeline. Robert DeHaas, dean of the School of Education at UT Tyler, said institutions must collaborate directly with district partners to fill high-need areas.“We have shortages of bilingual teachers. We have shortages in special education. We have shortages of math and science teachers,” DeHaas said. “These are not necessarily new, but we now as schools and colleges of education need to be aware of the information, but then also work closely with our district partners so that we’re filling them.”DeHaas added that sustaining interest in the profession requires expanding access to higher education and establishing paid district internships and training programs.“People don’t want to be teachers,” DeHaas said. “I think in our work and what really excites me every day is that we get the opportunity to combat that narrative head on.”For Aguilar, who plans to teach bilingual education, the goal remains clear: “I want to be a bilingual teacher... plan to make a big difference.”State leadership is also weighing in on retention strategies. Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has pointed to higher compensation as the key factor in keeping certified teachers in classrooms, pushing for increased funding and pay raises while also pledging to replace the commissioner of the Texas Education Agency.</div></body>

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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Tens of thousands of classrooms across Texas are being led by uncertified teachers, this prompted the state to give several school districts extended time to meet certification mandates amid an ongoing educator shortage, but the need is still high. Under a state law signed last year...

Teacher shortage continues in specialized areas of bilingual, ESL, math and science

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TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - Tens of thousands of classrooms across Texas are being led by uncertified teachers, this prompted the state to give several school di

Teacher shortage continues in specialized areas of bilingual, ESL, math and science

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