Since 2016, the number of teachers in Missouri has been on a steady decline, namely high school teachers. FHSD has been notably impacted by this shortage.
“Looking at the trends, not many people are going into education,” FHN assistant principal Monica Perry said. “And if they do, they’re not staying.”
FHSD School Board President Steven Blair states that this shortage may stand to worsen due to a new bill being discussed for the district.
“In Francis Howell [school district], we have a unique concern because of Senate Bill 3,” Blair said. “Senate Bill 3 flattens income and revenue into the school district…which means if you’re a teacher in St. Charles county, your budgets and benefits will be stifled– capped– in many different ways.”
Perry emphasizes that in order to end the teacher shortage, serious changes must be made. However, the school itself has little power when it comes to increasing teacher salaries.
“[The teacher shortage] is something that needs to be addressed state-wide,” Perry said. “At the building level, we’re not privy to [discussions that happen among district administration]. All we can do is look at the trends.”
The shortage has resulted in numerous repercussions for schools across the district. Some of these issues can already be observed here at FHN.
“I have several classes that are either at capacity or very close to capacity, which has not always been the case,” English teacher Amy Barnhouse said.
Bigger class sizes mean less teacher-student communication, which can impair student learning and diminish involvement.
“Things can get crazy when there are 32 kids in here, especially when I cannot move them to another desk without rearranging the entire seating chart,” Barnhouse said. “So some of [the full capacity classes] get less done than other classes.”
Perry encourages students to build a positive school environment for the teachers the school has been lucky enough to retain.
“Don’t come in here and disrupt the school environment when teachers and other students…are working hard to build better understanding,” Perry said.
