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Legislation looks to fill open teaching slots

Legislation looks to fill open teaching slots

School boards and school administrators in Minnesota could soon get more discretion in hiring prospective teachers. That’s a good thing. Minnesota is facing a teacher shortage in areas such as math, science and special education, and these shortages are most acute in outstate Minnesota, which includes the Fairmont area.

The Minnesota Legislature is working on changes to state law that would create a four-tier system and streamline the process to license teachers, particularly those trained out of state or who have unconventional backgrounds.

While this may sound controversial in some quarters, it shouldn’t be. The legislation in question has received bipartisan support in both the Minnesota House and Senate, and included feedback from teachers, school leaders and state leaders. All of them are concerned about the current system, which is seen as confusing and unfair.

No one wants to put an unqualified teacher in front of kids. But it is conceivable that local schools can figure this out for themselves. Not all wisdom lies in St. Paul, believe it or not.

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