Nearly 98% of Baltimore County Public Schools are fully staffed with teachers, the highest staffing level in recent years after more than 250 vacant positions were cut this fiscal year.
Superintendent Myriam Rogers said the district has 126 vacancies as of Tuesday, slashed by more than half since this time last year. Amid a national teacher shortage, BCPS launched a hiring push featuring commercial advertisements and summer job fairs.
“We’re excited about the work happening in human resources and schools,” Rogers said during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting.
BCPS employs 9,873 teachers. Spokesperson Charles Herndon said the district wasn’t able to say the type of teaching positions that are vacant or in which grade level.
There are 101 schools with vacancies, and 159 others have two or fewer open positions.
Rogers eliminated about 500 vacant staff positions overall, including 250 teacher roles this fiscal year to save money for the programs designated by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s decade-long education reform plan, and other operational costs. No one was laid off, but some teachers saw their positions change or were transferred to other schools. Around 70 positions were added to teach special education and English language learners as part of the Blueprint.
The budget reduced the average class size for third through fifth graders from 25 to 24 students. Average middle and high school class sizes will increase by one student each at 22 and 23 students, respectively. However, the teacher-to-class-size ratios vary widely by school and type of class.
Class sizes typically aren’t set until weeks into the semester, said Cindy Sexton, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County union.
“There are definitely fewer vacancies. But then they also decided just to not fill some of those positions,” Sexton said. “So it seems as though there will be fewer educators for our students, which we never would advocate for.”
Herndon said BCPS has been attracting and retaining school staff with increased salaries, intensive recruitment efforts and focus on school climate, among other programs.
“Dr. Rogers often says the most important investment BCPS can make is in its teachers and support staff — our workforce — and I think the success we’ve had reducing the number of vacancies this year is, in part, a reflection of that commitment,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Baltimore City’s school system, spokesperson Sherry Christian said the district is waiting until the first day of school to share its number of teacher vacancies.
More than 700 teachers have been hired ahead of the next school year, and the district will continue to hire throughout the year or until all vacancies are filled, Christian said. Starting salaries have increased to $58,895 for teachers with bachelor’s degree. A priority of the Blueprint is to raise starting salaries to $60,000 by 2026.
Baltimore City Schools have one of the highest percentage of teachers of color in Maryland. A majority of new hires identify as people of color, Christian said. Many Baltimore teachers are international citizens teaching in America. The district hires more than 100 international teachers per year, and this year’s cohort is primarily from Africa and Latin America.
Last year, more than 100 paraprofessionals and substitutes were promoted to full-time teachers through the district’s “grow your own” program. The program helps staff members earn bachelor’s degrees and teacher licenses to be eligible for hire.