Why Ohio could be a facing a 'crisis' with uncredentialed and vacant teaching positions

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The U.S. has at least 411,500 teaching positions that are vacant or filled by people who are not properly certified, and Ohio is no exception.

"That critical mass of people leaving the profession much sooner than expected, fewer people entering the traditional pathways of university preparation have just led us to this true national teacher shortage," Teachers of Tomorrow CEO Heath Morrison said. "I don't use the word crisis much, but I do think it is a crisis.”

Morrison, a former superintendent, joined the teacher licensure education program Teachers of Tomorrow to combat the educator workforce shortage he was witnessing firsthand. He said lower retirement ages, economic uncertainty, the pandemic and declining university enrollment are all driving the national teacher shortage, and states need to be proactive. See previous coverage of the shortage in the video player above.

Morrison said with changes to retirement and incoming student class size, education experts predicted there would be about 350,000 to 375,000 teacher vacancies by 2035. What was unexpected, he said, was how quickly the U.S. got there; in 2025, there were more than 360,000 vacancies nationwide.

According to the Department of Education, Ohio is facing shortages from pre-K to 12th grade across subject areas. In the 2024-2025 school year, Ohio lacked enough art, special education, career and technical education and computer science teachers. The state also needed many support staff positions filled, needing more counselors, nurses and social workers.

There are 388 vacant positions between Ohio's five largest districts alone. However, it is hard to quantify the shortage in Ohio because the state has not required schools to report relevant data. This changed over the summer, so Ohio's teacher shortage will be more easily tracked in the coming years. Starting Sept. 30, the Department of Education and Workforce will collect employment, retention and vacancy staff data.

Attracting more teachers can't be done overnight, as Ohio educators must get a bachelor's degree from one of 79 approved institutions to be licensed. Teachers must also pass background checks, exams and be approved by the state.

Educators who did not attend one of the handful of approved programs may qualify for an alternative licensure pathway. These teachers can only be in designated subject areas, and it requires an evaluation, exams and the completion of an Alternative Licensure Institute at one of six institutions, including Teachers of Tomorrow.

Morrison said his organization specifically targets people who are interested in a career change, allowing them to build upon the skills they’ve already used in the workforce to be a more effective teacher. The program takes about a year on average and takes place largely online so people can work while earning their license.

“The best thing we can do that drives academic outcomes, that closes achievement gap, is to put a quality teacher in front of every student that we can,” Morrison said.

To try to fill vacancies, Ohio and other states have offered some wiggle room for certification. Morrison said this leads to uncertified teachers, whose students perform worse and who are more likely to leave the profession after a few years. From the 2019-2020 school year to the 2023-2024 school year, Ohio's district teacher certification rates dropped from 95.4% properly credentialed to 93.3%.

“Those uncertified teachers, more often are likely to be in front of poor students, minority students, special ed students, and so the students who come to school already, in some cases, challenged, don't get the best prepared, experienced teacher,” Morrison said.

In Ohio, the most common courses taught by teachers who are not properly certified are theatre arts, career technical education anatomy and physiology, and middle school intervention English. Middle school reading, high school geography and computer literacy are among the 25 subjects with the highest rates of uncertified teachers in Ohio.

Morrison said increased pathways to licensure are one part of the fight, so long as all of the pathways produce quality, informed teachers. Morrison said the U.S. also needs a culture shift in how states view teachers. He said the field is often disrespected and underpaid, contributing to teachers leaving the field.

Student enrollment is also declining, but Morrison said teaching numbers are declining much more quickly than students. He said lower student enrollment somewhat masks the lack of teachers, making it seem like less of a concern than it is.

“The best thing we can do that drives academic outcomes, that closes achievement gaps, is to put a quality teacher in front of every student that we can,” Morrison said.