DALLAS — Faced with an educator shortage, Texas lawmakers last year made it easier for military veterans to become teachers.
The idea was touted not just as a way to fill vacant classrooms but to expose children to people who fought for their country. The legislation passed easily – at the same time when several other bills aimed at boosting teacher pay and strengthening educator recruitment and training failed.
Data obtained by The Dallas Morning News through an open records request shows fewer than 30 veterans made use of the program that allowed them to earn special teacher certifications, putting only a minuscule dent in the broader effort to fill classrooms.
“What that probably tells us is we need to do a better job of promoting that opportunity for the veteran community,” said Rep. Matt Shaheen, R-Plano, who authored the bill. “That tells me they’re not aware of it.”
Texas public schools hired more than 49,000 new teachers last school year.
Only 28 military veterans were granted certifications through HB 621?s new pathway between Sept. 1, 2023, and June 25, according to data provided by the Texas Education Agency.
Veterans seeking to teach through this program can only do so in career and technology education classes, the result of a late amendment that limited the bill’s scope.
“We narrowed it, which is probably causing an issue,” Shaheen said. “Expanding it should be something that we take a serious look at.”
Traditionally, to become a certified teacher in Texas, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree, complete an educator preparation program, pass related exams, submit a state application and complete a background check.
A growing number of new teachers lack state certification entirely, meaning officials have no way to know whether they received rigorous training before stepping into a classroom. Roughly one in three new teachers hired in the state during the 2022-23 school year were uncertified.
The Texas law created a temporary teaching certification military veterans could seek if they were honorably discharged. It specified that veterans could substitute some of the requirements with active military time. They don’t necessarily have to have a bachelor’s degree, complete a program or pass exams.
The move created frustration among some teacher advocates, who pushed for higher pay, better working conditions and improved training for educators. Those efforts largely fell short in Austin.
Nicole Hill, with Texas AFT teachers’ union, said while educators have the utmost respect for veterans, Shaheen’s bill was “never going to be a solution to our teacher retention crisis.”
“Instead, it was another shortcut around teacher certification, which is vital to high-quality education for kids,” she said. “All of this begs of the question of who these bills are really for, and what problem lawmakers think they’re trying to solve.”
Texas continues to struggle with finding educators, with potentially harmful effects for children. Students with new uncertified teachers lost the equivalent of about four months of learning in reading and three months in math, a recent study found.
Florida opened the door to more veteran teachers before Texas did, and similarly saw a low number take part in its first year.
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