Doug Jones Introduces Bill Addressing Alabama’s Teacher Shortage

WASHINGTON, DC — Sen. Doug Jones this week introduced a bill that is aimed at alleviating the teacher shortage in many parts of Alabama. The Classrooms Reflecting Communities Act comes in response to a roundtable discussion Jones had in August with educators and other stakeholders.

During the 2017-18 school year in Alabama, more than 1,700 teachers in grades 7-12 were not certified to teach the English, math, social studies, science or special education classes to which they were assigned. In 70 Alabama schools, 10 percent or more of the teachers are working without full certification.

Teacher shortages are shown to be the most severe in rural areas of Alabama, Jones said. The School Superintendents of Alabama have reported that elementary teachers are also becoming difficult to find, particularly in remote and rural parts of the state.

"Great teachers can make a huge difference in lives of the children they teach. We need to do everything we can to make sure that they have the resources they need in order to be successful and provide all of our children with the best education possible regardless of their ZIP code," Jones said. "This program will help incentivize the recruitment and retention of teachers who are invested in their communities and reflect the diversity of the students they teach."

The bill would authorize competitive grants for schools to establish a “Grow Your Own” program, which recruits diverse teacher candidates from the community into the teaching profession and supports them as they work to receive a teacher certification or licensure.