Teacher shortages could be helped by out-of-state licensure reform, advocates say

Last year, Minneapolis Public Schools hired 500 new teachers. The state’s largest district anticipates it will need to hire an additional 350 before the start of next school year. At the same time, education advocates have stressed that a long predicted shortage of K-12 teachers has arrived.

Rep. Deb Kiel

For that reason, school districts like Minneapolis support HF645, – sponsored by Rep. Deb Kiel (R-Crookston),which proposes to streamline the process so teachers who are licensed out-of-state can teach in Minnesota classrooms.

The bill would go a long way toward helping communities that struggle to fill teacher vacancies, Kiel said during a hearing Tuesday in the House Education Innovation Policy Committee.

The committee passed the bill on a divided voice vote and sent it to the House Education Finance Committee. Its companion, SF767, sponsored by Sen. Vicki Jensen (DFL-Owatonna), awaits action in the Senate Education Committee.

What’s in the bill

The bill proposes to make applicants holding a valid out-of-state teaching license who are offered employment in a Minnesota school eligible for a state teaching license if they meet the following requirements:

• complete a three-year probationary period in a single school district;
• are not discharged or advised of a board’s refusal to renew the teacher’s contract during the probationary period;
• become eligible for a continuing contract; and
• undergo a criminal history background check for non-state residents.

The Minnesota Board of Teaching – the administrative body charged with rule making for teacher licensing – currently requires out-of-state teachers pass a basic skills licensing exam and, if necessary, complete college-level course work.

Kiel said many of the schools in the district she represents near the Minnesota-North Dakota border run into road blocks when attempting to hire a teacher from a neighboring state.

Problem filling positions

Both rural and urban school districts have a problem seeking qualified candidates amidst a teacher shortage, said Denise Dittrich, associate director of government relations for the Minnesota School Boards Association.

“Our school districts have found the requirements in Minnesota to be a deterrent for teachers coming to Minnesota, or they become so frustrated that they quit the process,” Dittrich said. “What is happening with this cycle is we are reducing the pool that superintendents and school boards have to choose from.”

Education Minnesota – the state’s predominant teachers’ union – opposes the bill. The ability to teach in Minnesota should be based on a state-granted license where the criteria are the same for everyone, said David Aaron, an attorney for Education Minnesota.

Supporters of the bill say its provisions will also help schools seeking diversity in their teaching staff. Sixty seven percent of students in Minneapolis Public Schools are students of color, said Josh Downham, a lobbyist representing the school district.

“We do have 16 percent of our teachers who are teachers of color, but we need to look beyond the borders of Minnesota for qualified teachers of color,” Downham said.