CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With just a week to go before the start of school, Brevard Public Schools are looking to fill 70 positions.
- Brevard County Public Schools looking to fill 70 teaching positions
- Shortage due to teachers moving to higher paying districts
- Assistant Superintendent: "If we don't have the teachers when school opens, we'll use substitute teachers"
"That number, 70, of teachers we need to hire, the competition for them is much tougher now, the higher pool is much smaller so that complicates things a lot," said Assistant Superintendent Matt Reed.
The Brevard Federation of Teachers said if the district paid teachers better then they wouldn't leave for higher paying districts.
"I've highly considered leaving Brevard and I've also considered other job fields," said fifth grade Cape View Elementary teacher Kyle Savage.
A months-long impasse over teacher pay between the school district and teacher's union continues to drag on.
A special magistrate judge got involved, and on Friday, teachers will vote on a school board-approved retroactive contract.
"It's not attractive on the pay-scale, so I think you kind of limit some of your applicants," said Savage.
The school district isn't worried about fewer applicants.
"If we don't have the teachers when school opens, we'll use substitute teachers, we have resource teachers and other people and directors here at the school district headquarters who have gone into the classroom the past year," said Reed.
"We will make it work, we will not let kids fall behind," he continued.
The Learning Policy Institute found that nationally teacher turnover is 16 percent each year.
Brevard Public Schools said their rate of attrition is half of that.