The Capital Times reports that figures it recently obtained under state open records laws showed that more than 10% of the Madison Metropolitan School District’s (MMSD) teachers are reliant on one-year emergency licenses to work in classrooms. Most of the district’s close to 300 educators in this category were teaching classes in bilingual education, English as a second language, or cross-categorial special education as of December.
One-year emergency teaching licenses may be issued to people with a bachelor’s degree in any subject by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The licensure allows them to teach in schools without meeting full certification requirements, and the state can renew emergency licenses for people working toward full licensure.
The news comes as schools are facing increased staff shortages and high rates of turnover, particularly in areas like special education.
