Anne Arundel County Public Schools is starting the academic year with just 32 classroom vacancies — a significant improvement from previous years.
At this time last year, there were 69 vacancies. In 2023, the number was 171, and in 2022, it reached 283. The total number of teaching positions varies, but in 2024, 6,000 of 11,000 employees were teaching positions.
The Board of Education of Anne Arundel County met Wednesday to assess the district’s readiness for the start of the school year, where Chief Human Resources Officer Jessica Cuches unveiled the improved staffing numbers.
“We had a successful summer from the staffing perspective, as we were able to retain most of our talented educators, while also adding high-quality candidates to our team,” Cuches said.
Over the summer, the district hired 544 teachers out of 2,161 applicants. A particular point of pride for Superintendent Mark Bedell: 118 of the new hires are Anne Arundel County Public Schools graduates.
Nationwide, school districts continue to struggle with teacher recruitment and retention. Last year, there were more than 400,000 teacher positions either unfilled or filled by educators not fully certified for their assignments — about 1 in 8 teaching positions nationally — according to the Learning Policy Institute.
The steady decline in vacancies in Anne Arundel, according to the district, is the result of recruitment paired with improved teacher pay and working conditions. To recruit, the district streamlined onboarding, held hiring events and ran advertisements.
Anne Arundel offers a starting salary of $61,000 — $63,000 for special education teachers. The district offers two ways for compensation and advancement: the traditional salary scale and the career ladder, which was established through the Blueprint for the Future, and provides paths for professional accomplishments and new roles.
“There is a general appreciation for having a choice in compensation structure from our newly hired educators,” Cuches said.
The district is also seeing steady improvements with other vacancies, including drivers, school counselors and school psychologists.
Kristina Kondo, president of the Anne Arundel County teachers union, said the county is a positive place to teach compared with some other Maryland jurisdictions — including Harford County, where the school board recently removed a young adult graphic novel from libraries.
“Superintendent Mark Bedell and the Board of Education are trying to do what’s right by educators and kids. It makes a huge difference compared to many of our surrounding districts,” Kondo said.
She attributed recent recruiting successes to district improvements, such as replacing the learning management system, the basis for all online learning and classroom organization, amid intense criticism from teachers and students.
Last year, the county approved a record increase in the school system’s budget. Heading into the upcoming budget season, the union will ask for cost-of-living adjustments tied to inflation, more funding for special education positions, and improved pay for duties outside regular teaching hours — such as chaperoning trips and coaching athletic teams.
Parents can also support teacher retention by paying close attention to their students and showing teachers grace, Kondo said.
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