SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — With the struggle to hire to more educators, Shelby County Schools is looking to fill vacancies with virtual teachers.
A nationwide shortage of teachers is being felt by many school districts. SCS reports 96% of vacancies have been filled, but the district still needs approximately 200 more teachers. A district spokesperson said although there are still vacancies, 100% of classes are covered by licensed employees or substitutes.
The school district requested that the school board approves a one year contract with Texas-based Proximity Learning that cannot exceed the cost of $867,000. The partnership would bring in virtual teachers to fill current vacancies. In a class being taught through Proximity Learning, students would receive instruction from a teacher that appears from a live webcam.
The teachers are not district employees but would follow the district's curriculum. They also would be qualified and certified by the state, documents from the district report. A classroom facilitator would be in the room with students to monitor behavior and assist the teacher. A SCS spokesperson said it would be used for up to 15 classrooms in the district.
SCS has partnered with Proximity Learning in the past. In the 2019-20 school year, it was used to fill vacancies at five schools for Biology and Algebra I, II classes. In documents prepared for the school board, the district said it is essential in addressing the increasing national teacher shortage. But the executive director of the Memphis-Shelby County Education Association disagrees.
“It seems to me to be a quick fix program, another fly by night program. Proximity learning is not in school learning," Keith Williams said.
Williams said for multiple reasons he is against any partnership with program. He believes the money is better served increasing teacher salaries.
“To spend $867,000 to educate a small number of children seems to be a colossal waste of energy, time and money," he said. "I don’t know why you couldn’t hire - that could hire you maybe 100 teachers. The salary increase may speak better to this better than trying to do this by remotely.”
He also believes it could exacerbate the struggle of hiring educators.
“I just don’t see how that speaks to our problems and the shortage of instructors we have in this district," he said. "You may increase that problem because teachers may go and join Proximity Learning. Why wouldn’t you try to improve the quality of the teachers lives in this district without going outside of the district?”
In Tuesday night's school board work session, board members did not make any additional comments about the proposal. It moves on to next week's school board business meeting.