Given ongoing teacher shortages in many communities and large numbers of teaching posts filled by underqualified teachers, it is vital for K-12 leaders and state legislators to recognize and approve community and technical colleges as key sources for preparing these much-needed new educators, write Hans Andrews and Greg Rockhold, veteran education leaders.
September 15, 2025
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Studies place the current teacher shortage at 55,000 vacant positions and an additional 270,000 teaching posts currently filled by underqualified teachers (throughout the U.S.).
--Teachers of Tomorrow (April 2024)
It has now been over a decade, and hundreds of thousands of K-12 students continue to go without certified teachers. The K-12 boards and their administrative leadership, as well as the community and technical college leadership across the U.S., are needed now to start working together.
This is an important time to bring community and technical colleges into the fold as a new and vital source for teacher preparation. The university and four-year colleges are now producing 50% fewer teachers than a decade ago. Political leaders also need to be involved, as they must understand the severe problem that teacher shortages are causing across every state. They will need to pass legislation to implement the changes, allowing community and technical colleges to prepare teachers for baccalaureate degrees.
The following is a sampling of U.S. states that have had severe shortages
- Texas: Recent information from the Texas Education Association documented that 72% of the new teachers hired and placed in rural areas of the state were unlicensed as teachers.
Number of community colleges: 126
- California: Nine counties in rural areas of California are facing a crisis in obtaining and retaining qualified teachers. As a result, they have been hiring a higher number of underprepared teachers as well as those who are teaching outside of their field.
Number of community colleges: 185
- Illinois: Eighty-eight percent of Illinois superintendents answered a survey sponsored by their regional superintendents of schools on teacher shortages. A total of 77% indicated that the shortages were projected to get worse in both the 2023 and 2024 school years. At the time of the survey, there were over 2,000 unfilled or filled by non-qualified teachers (Smylie, 2022).
Number of community colleges: 50
- Virginia: The 2024-25 school year opened with 4,500 teacher shortages, 230 more than the previous year.
Number of community colleges: 23
- North Carolina: Over 10,000 teachers left their classrooms in 2023, up 42% from the previous year. This was the highest number to leave the schools in the past two decades. Over 11,000 people brought in to cover classes from their other careers were not fully licensed teachers.
Number of technical colleges: 59
This same pattern is observed in most other states. One state, Florida, passed legislation to allow its community colleges to prepare teachers for baccalaureate degrees. Twenty-seven are now involved.
Why community colleges can quickly prepare teachers
There are hundreds of thousands of dual-credit students enrolled in secondary schools across the nation at this time. A few will be graduating with an associate degree, and many others will have completed one year of college credits by the time they graduate from high school. This means that those who may become encouraged to select teaching as their career will already be one-fourth to one-half of the way through their baccalaureate degree.
A second major group of potential teachers also could be recruited within each community college's district. Many of their associate degree graduates over the past years were unable to attend a university or four-year college to complete a baccalaureate degree. Distance, work, and family responsibilities, as well as the expense of attending university, also significantly contribute to these adults' inability to obtain a baccalaureate degree.
By allowing the community-technical colleges to acquire a baccalaureate degree in education, a significant number of new teachers could become available in a relatively short time.
Comparative costs and debt after leaving college
With the costs of attending a community or technical college being so much lower in comparison to attending a university or four-year college, entry into the field makes good sense:
- With fewer costs and less debt to overcome as a new teacher, teachers' salaries will be easier to live with without the debt.
- The cost of a baccalaureate degree in those states offering degrees in fields other than education is in the $10,500–$12,000 range for the four years.
- With the dual credits already earned in secondary schools, these costs are from 25% to 50% lower, considering that one or two years of college are already completed.
- Community colleges have been reported to have 67% fewer students borrowing money for college than the 39% of those students in universities and four-year colleges (Dembicki, 2023).
This closing statement was received from a K-12 administrator/board member:
Agree! Empowering community and technical colleges to prepare K-12 teachers is a game-changer. This approach addresses the urgent teacher shortage and ensures that educators reflect the diverse communities they serve. Local training can lead to more dedicated teachers who understand and are invested in their community's unique needs. It is a win-win for both students and educators!
Joel Kramer, Educator/Principal/Trainer/Board Member
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Dr. Hans Andrews (andrewsha@sbcglobal.net) is a distinguished fellow in community college leadership, affiliated with Olney Central College (Illinois), and a former president of the college. He started the first dual-credit program between community colleges and secondary schools in the country.
Dr. Greg Rockhold (pgrockhold@gmail.com), a former superintendent, has served on the board of the National Association of Secondary School Principals, including as president of the New Mexico Coalition of School Administrators and executive director of the New Mexico Association of Secondary School Principals.
References:
Dembicki, M. (2023, November 1). Two-thirds of two-year grads don't borrow. Community College Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2024, at Two-thirds of two-year grads don't borrow - Community College Daily
Bryson, A. (2024, August 20). Virginia's teacher shortage continues to rise - Richmond Times Dispatch. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
NC teacher turnover hits highest mark in decades. New report shows changes in who is leading classrooms. Education. WRAL News. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
Smylie, S. (2022, January 18). Illinois school staffing shortages could persist for years, a new report finds. CHALKBEAT/CHICAGO. Retrieved July 24, 2024, at Illinois' teacher shortage could remain a problem in the future - Chalkbeat
Teachers of Tomorrow (2024, April 8). Teacher Shortages in the U.S.: Challenges, Solutions & Initiatives in 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024, at: https://www.teachersoftomorrow.org/blog/insights/teacher-shortages-in-the-us/