A concerned parent reached out to KHON2 using the Report It feature on our website telling us that parents of students at Red Hill Elementary were told the 3rd and 4th grade classes didn’t have a teacher yet. They were told instead a permanent sub might be instructing the class.
Red Hill Elementary Principal Rory Vierra declined to speak on camera, but said he should have the vacancies for the 3rd and 4th grade classes filled by the end of the day. He also said that the teachers they were looking into hiring are certified teachers.
HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said even if they hire a teacher today there will be some challenges.
“It is very difficult for teachers to start off the school year not have that time to bond with their fellow teachers, to start learning the curriculum, and that could be happening multiple times this year,” Rosenlee said.
According to HSTA, this is nothing new.
“We know from last year that there are going to be 1000 classrooms that are not going to have a qualified teacher…We know that elementary classrooms are going to go the entire year and they’re not going to have a qualified teacher and the sad part is for some students this is not going to be the first year that they’re not going to have a qualified teacher,” explained Rosenlee.
Rosenlee said he wishes more parents would demand change.
“How bad does it have to be before willing to take action?”
KHON2 reached out to the Department of Education to find out how many teacher positions still needed to be filled and how many were being filled with emergency hires.
The DOE was unable to provide those numbers.
