SAN ANTONIO – Districts across the country have dealt with teacher shortages since the pandemic, but Northside ISD said they are finally seeing some improvement this year compared to the last three.

Barry Perez, Assistant Superintendent for Communications and Marketing, said they currently have 142 teacher vacancies, with 58 being general education teacher positions and 84 being special education teacher positions.

He said because they have 132 NISD schools, these numbers may seem big, but they are not threatening.

“We are a large system,” he said. “For example, in total, we hire approximately 7,450 teachers. Our vacancy rate, with 142 positions not filled, is only about 1.9%. You have to put that in context and perspective.”

He said the same is reflected in their instructional assistant positions, which they currently have 112 total vacancies.

“We hire a total of about 950 special education aides,” he said. “Our vacancies in this specific area are about 80, slightly above 8%.”

Perez believes another reason why districts are dealing with vacancies is because they are struggling to remain competitive, but they are making headway.

In any case, he said they will continue to accept applications for teachers, IA’s, and substitutes throughout the year at nisd.net/hr.

“The other thing that I think needs to be mentioned is that teaching and working as an instructional assistant can be a tough job. Let’s be honest,” Perez said. “It is absolutely rewarding but also challenging. It takes a special commitment and dedication. We are looking for qualified individuals who can commit to working with children and who love working with children. That’s key to their success in the job.”

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