TCC joins Leon County Schools’ effort to jump start teaching careers
Photo by St. Clair Murraine
By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer
Trying to put the teacher shortage that’s affecting Leon County Schools into perspective, Superintendent Rocky Hanna reached back a little more than three decades ago.
He was a principal at that time and recalled how young teachers were recruited in the exhibition hall at the Civic Center. Prospects entered through huge doors on lower level.
“You opened those elephant ears doors and hundreds of young applicants would come and compete and interview for those jobs,” Hanna recalled. “Today unfortunately you open those doors and there is no one there.”
Hanna shared the memory at a press conference last Thursday in the Costopoulos Kubiak Family Classroom, where Tallahassee Community College and Leon County Schools announced a plan to open a new pipeline to teaching careers.
TCC President Jim Murdaugh also announced that the school will begin teaching a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Science in Exceptional Education programs. Both programs will begin this fall.
The partnership with Leon County Schools will also start this fall. Beginning with the opening of schools Thursday, high school juniors and seniors will be able to take Intro to Education and Special Topics in Education courses to start the path to teaching careers. The courses, which will count toward dual enrollment at TCC, will be taught on high school campuses.
Instructors approved by TCC will teach the entry level education courses.
A teacher shortage that existed before the COVID-19 outbreak, intensified during the pandemic. Calandra Stringer, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs at TCC, estimates that there are 89 vacancies in Gadsden, Leon and Wakulla counties.
Stringer said she hopes the partnership between LCS and TCC makes high school students “enthusiastic about teaching.”
Some of the exodus of teachers has been attributed to low salaries. For example, the average entry level salary is $40,821 in Florida. However, the range generally is between $34,085 and $49,785.
Officials at the press conference expressed some eagerness to get the program started.
“This is a partnership that is really important to the success of this community,” Murdaugh said.
The teacher shortage crisis has resulted in 70 percent of new teacher without a college of education degree. Hanna said just last year that number was 30.
“We can and we must do better for the sake of our children,” Hanna said. “We talk to kids often about career paths and career opportunities. This is just another way for us to partner with Tallahassee Community College to give kids an option to consider entering education as a profession. There is not a greater calling.”
The two Bachelor courses that TCC will offer in education were once part of the curriculum at Flagler College. Stringer led the effort to get necessary support from the Board of Education to allow TCC to add the programs.
Enrollment requires at least an AA degree and a minimum GPA of 2.5, Stringer said.
Murdaugh also said TCC will offer two scholarship worth $50,000 each to students.
