Macon County Schools saw an uncommonly high number of teacher retirements this summer, but it hasn’t posed too much of a problem for staffing in the schools.
After 41 teachers retired at the end of the 2020-21 school year, personnel director Todd Gibbs assured the community it was just a matter of coincidental timelines and that the school system would find a way to make up for their loss by the time school started. That promise largely came to fruition when school began last week with only two teaching vacancies – one Macon Middle School social studies position that opened unexpectedly due to a resignation, and one secondary math position at Nantahala School. The county is advertising for these positions and is covering open classes with substitutes in the meantime, including some retirees.
“We have three positions that are being filled by retired teachers who are working as long-term substitutes,” Gibbs said. “These teachers are currently or have been licensed in NC in the past to teach. One of the retired teachers is also National Board Certified.”
Macon County Schools also received help from a lot of first-time teachers. Earlier this year, the state government created a fast track for people with a college degree to take a semester of teacher preparation coursework and start teaching as adjuncts in high school classrooms. Gibbs says many community members accepted that call to action, and the county is thankful to have them.
“Under NC law, we can hire these people with non-education degrees as long as those people are willing to take classes that deal with education while they are working in NC schools,” Gibbs said. “We currently have many excellent teachers in our system who have come into education under these same circumstances.”
New hiring has come with some good news for arts education advocates as well. In addition to filling vacancies left by departing arts teachers, South Macon Elementary School and Iotla Valley Elementary School added new full-time positions with funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) fund, which isn’t set to expire until 2024. Arts for MCS organizer Maggie Jennings said it is an important step in the right direction.
“South Macon and Iotla Valley principals chose a full-time art and music teacher, which created full-time art and music programs at both schools,” Jennings said. “Students at those schools are now getting music twice a week in most situations, and preschool is now being included in their services.”
However, Cartoogechaye Elementary School and East Franklin Elementary School arts classes are still strapped for time and space, while Macon Middle School has no art or chorus classes at all. The middle school is moving a lot of classes around this year as renovation work continues, but both school system officials and principal Kevin Bailey say they’re open to expanding arts course offerings when construction ends and class space becomes more available.
“We believe in growing capable, well-rounded students, and the arts are certainly a major component of that,” Bailey said. “At this time, we simply do not have the space to provide these classes.”
There’s hiring work left to be done, but Macon County classrooms are doing OK for now. Some of the most important openings right now are outside of the classroom, particularly on the school bus.
“We still have three open bus driver positions that we would love to fill also,” Gibbs said.
For more information on job openings in Macon County Schools, go online to www.macon.k12.nc.us/apps/jobs/.