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"It's time to be innovative," Pennsylvania state Rep.
Eddie Day Pashinski said Friday during a panel discussion on the state's teacher shortage.
"We all have a duty and responsibility to find a solution for our children."
The Democrat was one of several state legislators who attended the discussion at Luzerne County Community College in Nanticoke, where they discussed how the state's $14 billion fund balance could be used to address the teacher shortage, the Times Leader reports.
Pashinski said some of that fund balance should be used to address the teacher shortage, which he says is reaching a "critical stage."
According to a self-study report submitted to the National Association for the Education of Young Children in November 2023, Pennsylvania needs to hire 1,874 additional pre-K teachers to ensure all of its children have access to pre-K programs, Wilkes-Barre Area Superintendent Brian Uplinger said during the panel discussion.
Uplinger said enrollment at Wilkes-Barre Area has risen in recent years from 7,200 to 8,500.
The panel of educators said approximately 6,000 teachers are certified each year in Pennsylvania.
That's significantly lower that 10 years ago when more than 20,000 new teachers were certified yearly.
LCCC has associate degree programs designed to prepare graduates for careers in early Read the Entire Article