Louisiana's teacher shortage is raising alarms: 'Fewer teacher candidates than ever'

Louisiana's teacher shortage is getting worse with retirements on the rise, the number of new teachers plunging and superintendents finding it increasingly difficult to fill classroom jobs.

The ranks of students in the LSU School of Education plunged 57% in the past decade and 39% in the past five years, according to figures provided by the school. Teachers and other school personnel retirements shot up 25% from 2020 to 2021, data compiled by the Teacher Retirement System of Louisiana shows.

Doris Voitier, superintendent of the St. Bernard Parish School District and a veteran of 50 years in the profession, said today's education landscape is unlike anything she has seen. "I have never had as much of a struggle to adequately staff our programs as I have the past year," said Voitier, who is also a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Officials of other school districts tell similar stories.

The Livingston Parish school system, which reports shortages for all positions, said officials recently attended a job fair at Southeastern Louisiana University that typically attracts 40 or so education students. This time less than 10 showed up.

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