After working in the corporate world for 25 years, LaVesha Sharp was looking for a change. 

She decided to become a educator.

“I always wanted to be a teacher in some capacity,” Sharp said. “I’ve always taught Sunday school and I volunteered at the college for a while, teaching adults how to read.” 

After asking around, Sharp, 46, who has a bachelor’s degree in business, learned about an alternative route program, which allows people with degrees in fields other than education  to become certified teachers. 

“I saw a Facebook post one day from Meridian Public Schools,” she said. “They were having a meeting about people who may have a degree in another field who are interested in education. Then, from there, I am here.”

After taking some classes at William Carey University, Sharp became a teacher, and now works at Oakland Heights Elementary School. 

“I knew without a doubt it’s what I wanted to do,” said Sharp, who teaches fourth grade English and language arts. “It was a matter of getting the means to do it and getting the information to get there.”

Tangela Mosley, who teaches English at Meridian High School, also took the alternative route. She decided to teach in Meridian because she couldn’t find a job in Choctaw County, Alabama, where she lives. 

“I loved what I was doing, but wanted to teach,” she said. “Being a mother first, I had to provide.”

Retaining teachers through mentorship

The alternative route option isn’t the only strategy the Meridian Public School District is using to deal with a teacher shortage. It’s also created a mentorship program and offers incentives to teachers.  

Under the mentorship program, experienced teachers, or mentors, are paired with new teachers, said Kim Kendrick, the district’s human resources director.

Mentors are required to meet with the new teachers once a month, which includes peer observations outside the classroom.

“It’s always good to have someone guide you in real-time,” Kendrick said. “That’s what the mentorship program provides for them if they are struggling.” 

Rhonda Burrage, who teaches math at Magnolia Middle School, serves as a mentor to new teachers. 

“I feel like being that mentor teacher is very important, because when new teachers come in, they need that support,” said Burrage, who’s been teaching for 12 years. “They need  a listening ear or some tips on instruction strategies or techniques.” 

Burrage meets with her mentee three days a week to go over lesson plans, teaching techniques, ways to conduct parent conferences and testing and grading. 

That extra support is valuable to teachers early in their careers, she said.

“We lose a lot of teachers during the first few years, because they don’t have the support in place,” she said.

Other incentives

Kendrick said the teacher shortage is not just a Mississippi or Meridian problem, but also a nationwide problem.

“It’s no longer a matter of simply competing against other school districts, it’s more about getting people to take on education as a profession,” she said.

The district offers a sign-on bonus of $2,000 to teachers who decide to teach at hard-to-staff schools, such as Parkview and T.J. Harris Upper Elementary schools and Carver Middle School. Teachers who become national board-certified are also reimbursed with  funding from the Phil Hardin Foundation, she said.

The district will also reimburse teachers who have to take the PRAXIS, a test necessary for licensure. 

“We will pay for them to go back and take the PRAXIS,” she said. “If they pass the test, they will be endorsed to teach those subject areas.” 

To help teachers keep from burning out, the district also offers professional development, teacher universities and learning communities, Kendrick said.  

Recruitment

Over the last two years, the district has seen success in recruiting teachers through career and university fairs, Kendrick said.  

More Information

In addition to seeking teachers and other staff, The Meridian Public School District is looking to fill some administrative positions.

Meridian High School Principal Victor Hubbard is leaving the district after 11 years to take a job with the Hattiesburg Public School District. He will remain at MHS through this school year.

The position is open and posted on the district’s website.

Applicants must have a minimum of an AA certificate in administration and supervision; five years of successful school administrative experience preferred and evidence of administrative capabilities including, but not limited to previous

administrative assignments.

The school is also looking to hire an assistant principal at the high school, after Josh Herrington accepted a job as the principal at Northeast Lauderdale High School.

Applicants must have bachelor’s and master’s degrees from an accredited college or university, preferably in school administration, teaching experience in more than one grade level and success as a school administrator.

Both the Meridian Public and Lauderdale County School districts are hiring.

Meridian Public Schools: Applicants can visit https://tinyurl.com/v8rg69t

Lauderdale County Schools: Information is available at https://www.lauderdale.k12.ms.us/apps/jobs/

Applicants can also call the personnel office at 601-693-1683. 

During the fairs, the district just doesn’t look for education majors, but seeks people looking for a career change or others who can’t find a job in their field.

“Sometimes, it’s attractive to a college graduate to come to teaching and make a fairly reasonable salary or a livable wage,” Kendrick said.

The district is also seeing success with the PANTA program, which helps teacher assistants become teachers.

The teacher academy at Ross Collins Career and Technical Center was created to get younger students interested in education. The goal is for those students to become teachers in the district.

A look at the numbers

During school year 2018-19, the state had 31,480 teachers. Of those teachers, 2,315, or about 7 percent, held an emergency or provisional license. Ninety-six percent of the teachers were teaching in their field.

Since 2018, the Meridian Public School District has seen a 33 percent decrease in teacher turnover, from 126 new teachers to 84, according to the Mississippi Dept. of Education.

During school year 2018-19, the district had 377 teachers; 56 of whom held an emergency or provisional license. Ninety-three percent of the teachers were teaching in their field. The district, which now employs 500 teachers, is retaining 85 percent of those teachers, according to the state. 

Kendrick said there is still a need for math, science, special education, and elementary education teachers, to fill 10 vacancies for the 2020-21 school year. 

Other districts

The Lauderdale County School District had 431 teachers during the school year 2018-19; 1.5 percent of those teachers held an emergency or provisional license. Ninety-six percent of the district’s teachers were teaching in their field that school year.

The district is also using career fairs and mentorship programs to attract and retain educators. 

Low pay is one reason why many people don’t go into education, said Ed Mosley, assistant superintendent of the district.  

The average pay for teachers in Mississippi is $34,784, according to a National Education Association. Nationwide, the average salary for a teacher is $39,249 based on data from 2017-2018.

Mosley emphasized that being an educator involves more than just coming up with lesson plans and standing in front of the classroom.

“With teaching, you have to do a lot more than teaching,” he said.