85 uncertified teachers in the classrooms in Vermilion Parish

There was a person in the classroom teaching Vermilion Parish public school children when school began on Thursday. Is that person a certified teacher or a non-certified teacher?
Nine years ago, that answer would probably have been certified because only one percent of Vermilion Parish’s public school teachers were uncertified.
Today, it is 11 percent, a jump of 10 percent or 77 teachers.
That means 11 out of 100 teachers in the parish are uncertified. Nine years ago, that number was like 1 out of 100.
The state average for uncertified teachers is 12.5%.
Vermilion Parish Superintendent Tommy Byler said many uncertified teachers are those waiting to take a state education certification test. In contrast, others are people who changed their careers and have a bachelor’s degree.
“Vermilion Parish is lucky to have the positions filled,” said Byler. “I know there are districts who are 50 or 60 teachers short with school beginning.
“I feel confident in the people we hired. They want to be in the classroom and have gone through training this summer.”
The parish school with the most uncertified teachers is J.H. Williams Middle School.
Only eight uncertified teachers were teaching in Vermilion in 2013-14.
In 2015-16, the number of uncertified teachers jumped to 34. It remained around 35 until the 2021 school year, when it jumped to 58. Last year there were 61 uncertified teachers in the school system.
It jumped from eight in 2013 to 85 in 2022.
Due to the teacher shortage, Vermilion, like other parishes, has had to hire uncertified teachers. This is a person with a college degree but not in education.
A majority of the uncertified teacher hires sign only one-year contracts.
Vermilion Parish is hiring more uncertified teachers, a state trend according to a state report.
The state has the fifth highest rate of uncertified teachers – 9% – and the fourth most teachers in their first or second years in the classroom – 16%, the report says. The national figures are 3% and 12%, respectively.
On the first day of school, Vermilion Parish still had six unfilled teaching slots as of Thursday. But according to assistant superintendent Paul Hebert, those six slots are expected to be filled by next week.
Vermilion’s starting pay for a teacher is around $46,000 a year. That amount is for an uncertified and certified teacher.