YELLOW SHEET Office of the State Auditor of Missouri Claire McCaskill

August 22, 2002

Report No. 2002-58

The following problems were discovered as a result of an audit conducted by our office of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Teacher Retention and Recruitment.

Our audit indicates that the state has problems in both recruiting and retaining teachers. 

We found that there were 4,256 individuals who received an initial teaching certificate and became eligible to teach in the 1994-95 school year. We reviewed the work history of these individuals and noted the following:

Only 18 percent of those individuals receiving an initial certificate in fiscal year 1995 taught for all seven years from school year 1995 to 2001 and 28 percent never entered a Missouri public school district as a teacher.  In addition, the DESE compiled some statistics on new hires and discovered that already 700 of the 4,646 teachers (15 percent) new to public education hired in Missouri’s school districts in school year 1999-00  have left the public teaching workforce in the state after only one year.  Due to the high turnover rates for beginning teachers, the percentage of the teaching work force with experience of 0 to 5 years has actually increased from 21 percent in 1992 to 31 percent in 2001.

With a high percent of education graduates and/or teachers receiving their initial certification never entering the public teaching workforce coupled with a high turnover rate, the experience level of the state’s public school educators is declining and the school districts are continually faced with recruiting new teachers and battling to address teacher shortages in certain areas.

Our review noted that the state has an abundance of certified teachers; however, a relatively small percentage choose to be teaching in a Missouri public school. We requested the DESE determine the total number of individuals holding a valid certificate versus those holding a valid certificate and employed in a school district.  We determined that of approximately 257,500 individuals in Missouri holding a valid teaching certificate, only 29 percent were employed in a Missouri public school during the 2000-01 school year.  Of this 29 percent employed, 25 percent were classroom teachers and the remaining 4 percent were in administrative positions. 

Our audit of teacher retention and recruitment noted several areas where significant improvements are needed.  In Missouri, teacher shortages are concentrated in specific areas known as critical need areas.  School districts are forced to fill these areas with teachers who are not fully certified.  Our report notes that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) only recently evaluated and summarized information to quantify those subjects taught by teachers who were not fully certified. In addition, the DESE currently counts some teachers who are not fully certified to teach subject areas as qualified.  Parents of public school students in Missouri are not required to be notified when their children are placed in a classroom with a teacher who is not fully certified to teach the class.

Our audit notes that the DESE has not complied with a state law which requires information relating to the retention and recruitment of teachers to be reported to the General Assembly.  In addition, recent information provided to the State Board of Education relating to teacher supply and demand was erroneous.  Furthermore, recent changes to state certification policies appear inconsistent.

Missouri school administrators cite stringent certification requirements and low salaries as predominant reasons for teacher shortages in the state. 

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