Missouri lawmaker proposes faster path toward teaching career amid shortages

To address chronic shortages, a Missouri lawmaker wants to create a pathway for individuals who complete a state-approved associate degree to teach in public schools.

State Rep. Willard Haley, R-Eldon, said House Bill 2776 creates a fast-track solution to a growing problem.

“Missouri has a teaching shortage that is beyond anybody’s comprehension,” he said.

“We need to get some teachers in our classroom pretty quickly, and the traditional four-year route isn’t really working right now. That won’t repair this quickly enough.”

A 2025 report by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education showed 2,591, or nearly 5% of the teaching positions in the state, were vacant or filled by an individual who was not fully certified.

He said districts with critical shortages have hired retired teachers to work part-time or individuals with only a substitute certification to fill classrooms.

“I have probably heard from 40 or 50 superintendents who say ‘We need this, we can’t hire teachers. We post a position and nobody applies,’” Haley said.

Under the proposal, the state could issue a temporary teaching certificate to individuals who complete a specially designed associate degree with specific courses on pedagogy and classroom management.

Applicants would have to pass a background check, score high enough on a state test, and participate in district training, mentoring and evaluations during the first two years of their career.

“There will be teachers that are in charge of … nurturing you and helping you develop as a teacher,” Haley said. “The goal is that you will continue your education and long –term, go ahead and get your four-year degree.”

Shannon Benne, president of the Springfield National Education Association, said the bill could help fill positions in critical shortage areas.

“If we have somebody who is passionate about that and wanting to get into that, fast-tracking them into the classroom is not necessarily a bad thing,” Benne said. “However, the caveat that I’d put on is that they would need absolute support.”

Benne, who leads the union that represents Springfield teachers, said bachelor-degree teaching programs are structured to provide practicums – supervised, hands-on experience in real classroom settings – and student teaching, where there is autonomy but guidance.

“It would be scary for anybody to just walk into the classroom after only two years of training because you’re missing out on a lot of things,” she said.

Brian Millner, president and CEO of the Missouri Community College Association, said the institutions represented by the MCCA must provide affordable training and respond to workforce needs.

He said the cost of obtaining a bachelor’s degree, relative to the starting salary teachers are offered, may be a deterrent.

Missouri state law requires districts pay a minimum teacher salary of $40,000 starting with the 2025-26 school year. The minimum starting pay had been $25,000.

“What we’ve tried to do is help superintendents think through creative ways to respond to this problem,” he said.

Millner said the pathway proposed in the bill is not meant to replace four-year teacher education programs and may not be ideal for certain teaching jobs.

“We don’t expect this to be a magic bullet that completely fixes the teacher shortage problem. Rather, this is one possible solution,” he said. “Conversations are still being had about what this will look like, or could look like.”

Millner said the bill would create a shorter path into teaching, similar to the two-year programs created to work as a registered nurse.

Hal Higdon, chancellor of Ozarks Technical Community College, discussed the bill during Springfield Business Journal’s People You Need to Know event.

He said the option, based on models used in other states, may be a solution for hard-to-fill teaching positions.

He said eligible students can access the A+ Scholarship Programs at public community colleges in Missouri, which can significantly reduce the cost of an associate degree.

“If you could use your A+ and get into the teaching field in two years … with no debt and then get a job teaching and then have five years to get your bachelor’s degree, it’s a win-win for the students,” he said.

In written testimony for a legislative hearing, Sedalia Superintendent Todd Fraley said the district has been forced to hire long-term substitutes who may not have a degree or training to fill a teaching post.

“With fewer and fewer people entering the teaching field, the pool of applicants, especially the quality ones, continues to diminish,” he wrote Jan. 20. “The quality of the teacher in the classroom directly impacts the effectiveness of instruction and the educational outcomes of our students.”

Haley said he was open to tweaking the proposal. Following feedback, he vowed to rework the bill to only focus on elementary teaching jobs.

“The bill is changing, so this will not be eligible for high school,” he said.