Fentress County Schools are looking close to home to combat a teacher shortage, hiring graduates of the district to return to the classroom.
Fentress County Director of Schools Kristi Hall said the teacher shortage is an ongoing challenge for the district and for school systems across Tennessee. Hall said local graduates understand the county.
“If we have people that live here, we want them to come back here when they finish their schooling,” Hall said. “There is not a lot of large industry or businesses here that does pull people back into our county, so we really know that we have to grow our own teachers in Fentress County.”
Hall said the school system has launched classes aimed at sparking interest in the teaching profession among middle school students through a Teaching as a Profession Program. She said the district hopes the program will produce long-term results.
“They get to work with teachers, kind of to fill out and see what that would look like,” Hall said. “And so these students, we’re hoping that we can track them through their middle school and then on through the high school, where they can actually get some industrial certifications to provide tutoring services, that we will bring them back to the county as a teacher.”
Hall said returning to teach in Fentress County can also benefit the educators themselves.
“They know and understand the community, and we always want our schools to be a hub of the community. That also takes them off the road,” Hall said. “They are not having to commute as far to work and back, and therefore gives them time back with their families.”
Hall said the district has also seen improved retention by hiring teachers who grew up in Fentress County. She added that the school system is working to improve salaries and benefits to further encourage educators to stay rather than move to neighboring counties.