THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK.
>> THANK YOU.
GLAD TO HELP.
>> EVEN WITH THE START OF SCHOOL
RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER, A CHECK
OF HIRING PORTALS SHOWS
DISTRICTS ACROSS THE STATE ARE
HUNDREDS OF TEACHERS SHORT AND
THE NEED FOR SUPPORT STAFF IS
EVEN HIGHER.
NEARLY 70% OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS
IN WISCONSIN ARE CONSIDERED
RURAL AND THE NEED CAN BE
ESPECIALLY ACUTE IN THOSE
SCHOOLS.
OUR NEXT GUEST IS THE ARCADIA
SCHOOL DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR.
LANCE BAGSTAD KNOWS THE STRUGGLE
TO FIND STAFF FIRSTHAND AND
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO, WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
RIGHT NOW IN YOUR DISTRICT FOR
HOW SHORT YOU STILL ARE FOR
TEACHERS AND STAFF?
>> YEAH, ACTUALLY WE ARE -- WE
HAVE OUR CLASSROOMS FILLED BUT
DO NOT HAVE THEM ALL FILLED WITH
TEACHERS CERTIFIED IN SOME OF
THE AREAS.
WE HAVE HAD TO FILL SOME OF OUR
CLASSROOMS, AT LEAST
TEMPORARILY, WITH LONG-TERM
SUBS.
ALL ACROSS THE DISTRICT, SO WE
HAVE ELEMENTARY POSITIONS THAT
WE ARE STILL LOOKING FOR
CERTIFIED STAFF, WE HAVE MIDDLE
SCHOOL POSITIONS AND WE HAVE
HIGH SCHOOL POSITIONS.
SO PRETTY COMMON ACROSS RURAL
SCHOOLS ACROSS WISCONSIN RIGHT
NOW, ONLY A FEW WEEKS AWAY FROM
THE START OF SCHOOL THAT
CLASSROOMS ARE NOT FULLY STAFFED
YET.
>> SO, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO
FAMILIES WITH STUDENTS IN THE
DISTRICT ABOUT THAT, AND WHETHER
OR NOT THE CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
WILL BE GOOD THIS YEAR?
>> YEAH, CERTAINLY THAT'S
SOMETHING WE HAVE HAD TO DISCUSS
ADMINISTRATIVELY ACROSS OUR
DISTRICT.
THE POSITIVE WE HAVE FOR US IS
WE DO HAVE THREE INSTRUCTIONAL
COACHES ACROSS THE DISTRICT THAT
ACTUALLY WORK WITH TEACHERS ON
COACHING CYCLES, WHETHER THAT'S
AN ELEMENTARY TEACHER, MIDDLE
SCHOOL TEACHER OR HIGH SCHOOL
TEACHER ON BEST PRACTICES, AND
WE ARE ALSO A PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING COMMUNITY SCHOOL
DISTRICT SO OUR TEACHERS HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GET TOGETHER WITH
EITHER SIMILAR SUBJECT AREAS OR
GRADE LEVEL TEACHERS TO WORK ON
ASSESSMENTS, ON COMMON
STANDARDS, AND BEST PRACTICES IN
THE CLASSROOM.
SO WITH THOSE TEACHERS THAT MAY
NOT BE, OR MAY BE LONG-TERM
SUBS, WE ARE ABLE TO SURROUND
THEM WITH A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE
TO ASSIST WITH THEIR INSTRUCTION
AS WELL AS THEIR PRACTICES.
>> IN TERMS OF STAFF SHORTAGES,
HAVE YOU EVER SEEN IT LIKE THIS
BEFORE COMING INTO THIS SCHOOL
YEAR?
>> NOT ANYTHING CLOSE TO THIS.
I'VE BEEN A DISTRICT
ADMINISTRATOR NOW IN MY FIFTH
YEAR, I WAS A PRINCIPAL FOR 12
YEARS PRIOR TO THAT.
I HAVE NEVER SEEN SHORTAGES LIKE
THIS.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN
CERTAIN AREAS WHERE THERE'S BEEN
SHORTAGES.
FOR EXAMPLE, SPECIAL EDUCATION,
CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
AREAS, WORLD LANGUAGES, BUT WE
ARE NOW SEEING THOSE SAME
SHORTAGES HIT US AT THE
ELEMENTARY LEVEL AS WELL AS
THOSE AREAS I JUST MENTIONED.
FOR EXAMPLE, WE HAD 3 OR 4
OPENINGS AT OUR ELEMENTARY THIS
YEAR.
WE HAD LESS THAN 15 APPLICANTS
FOR POSITIONS.
WE HAD A 4-K POSITION OPEN, ONLY
HAD TWO APPLICANTS FOR THAT
POSITION.
THAT'S REALLY UNUSUAL.
IN THE PAST ELEMENTARY POSITIONS
YOU WOULD GET 40, 50, 60, EVEN
SOMETIMES 100 APPLICANTS.
THEY ARE JUST NOT OUT THERE AT
THIS TIME.
>> WHY ISN'T ARCADIA OR OTHER
SMALL RURAL DISTRICTS ABLE TO
ATTRACT TEACHERS?
>> YOU KNOW, I THINK PART OF IT
IS THE RURALNESS OF OUR
DISTRICTS.
YOU KNOW, I'VE OFTEN SAID IN
CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHERS THAT A
LOT OF OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT ARE
IN PRESERVICE TEACHER PROGRAMS
AT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES GET
USED TO THE AMENITIES THAT A
LARGER CITY OFFERS, YOU KNOW.
THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN A
LARGE CITY THAT MAY NOT BE AS
ACCESSIBLE IN RURAL WISCONSIN.
BUT I WOULD ALSO ARGUE THAT THE
TEACHER SHORTAGE, WHILE IT'S
IMPACTING RURAL WISCONSIN PRETTY
GREATLY, IT'S ALSO IMPACTING
EVEN OUR URBAN DISTRICTS ARE
STRUGGLING TO HAVE A LOT OF
CANDIDATES APPLYING FOR JOBS.
>> WHAT DO YOU DO TO TRY TO
COMPETE WITH THE GEOGRAPHICAL
LOCATION THAT YOU HOLD?
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, FOR US IT IS
A LITTLE DIFFICULT.
WE ARE BASICALLY LOCATED HALFWAY
BETWEEN THE CITY OF LA CROSSE
AND THE CITY OF EAU CLAIRE, AND
35 MINUTES FROM WINONA,
MINNESOTA, LARGER CITIES THAN WE
ARE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT HAVING TO
CHANGE OUR PAY SCALE, INCREASE
PAY, FIND WAYS TO OFFER OTHER
BENEFITS TO TEACHERS.
WE HAVE DONE SOME THINGS IN OUR
DISTRICT, ESPECIALLY IN HIGH
NEED AREAS BY OFFERING
INCENTIVES TO HELP WITH TUITION
AND TUITION REIMBURSEMENT IN
SOME AREAS, ESPECIALLY SPECIAL
EDUCATION, WHEN THAT'S BEEN THE
CASE.
SO WE ARE REALLY LOOKING AT A
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT
WE ARE ABLE TO DO.
THE OTHER THING WE ARE ABLE TO
DO IN OUR AREA, THE SCHOOL
DISTRICTS OF ARCADIA,
INDEPENDENCE, BLARE, TAYLOR AND
WHITEHALL, WE HAVE A FOUR-SCHOOL
CO-OP, TREMPEALEAU VALLEY
COOPERATIVE, AND WE ARE IN
CONSTANT DISCUSSION HOW WE CAN
SHARE STAFF, HOW WE CAN
INCENTIVIZE SOME OF OUR TEACHERS
BY, FOR TEACHING REMOTELY TO OUR
FOUR DISTRICTS AS WELL AS
POTENTIALLY INCENTIVIZING
TEACHERS WITH ADDITIONAL PAY IF
THEY ARE WILLING TO TRAVEL FROM
DISTRICT TO DISTRICT TO HELP
WITH THE SHORTAGES.
>> WOW, A LOT OF WORK.
LANCE BAGSTAD, THANKS VERY MUCH
AND GOOD LUCK WITH THE NEW