New Mexico is once again seeing a decrease in teacher vacancies, according to a report by New Mexico State University's Southwest Outreach Academic Research Evaluation and Policy Center.

A report last year found a slight increase in these vacancies. As of Sept. 9, there were 1,259 educator vacancies in New Mexico, with 737 teacher vacancies. Last year, there were 751 teacher vacancies, indicating a 2% decrease in 2024. In 2022, there were 690 teacher vacancies.

As in 2023, the area with the highest need was special education, which had 280 teacher vacancies, making up 38% of all teacher vacancies. Elementary teachers had the second largest total with 179 vacancies, or 24% of all teacher vacancies.

The largest change was a decrease in middle school teacher vacancies, with 87 this year compared to 118 last year, or a 26% decrease. Elementary teachers saw the largest increase in vacancies, with 179 this year compared to 166 last year. The subjects with the highest needs were math, science and music.

"This year's decrease in teacher vacancies is a step in the right direction, but the persistent needs in special education, elementary education, and critical subjects like math and science highlight the ongoing challenge of ensuring our schools are fully staffed with qualified educators," said Phillip Post, interim dean of the NMSU College of Health, Education and Social Transformation.

According to the report, New Mexico also saw a decrease in students admitted to an educator preparation program during the 2023-24 academic year. A total of 1,826 students were admitted, while 1,160 students completed an educator preparation program, similar to last year. The study included four-year and two-year institutions in New Mexico, along with the Leading Educators through Alternative Pathways program.

A total of 2,055 students were admitted to an educator preparation program during the 2022-23 academic year compared to 1,886 students during the previous academic year. Last year also saw 1,158 students completing the program, compared to 1,027 the previous academic year.

"While the slight decrease in admits is a concern, we are encouraged by the consistency in completer totals," Post said. "This shows that our efforts to support aspiring teachers through to program completion are paying off, and we remain committed to addressing the state's teacher shortages, particularly in high-need areas."

Methods for determining the amount of educator vacancies include compiling the number of job openings listed by every school district in New Mexico, as well as data provided by the state's colleges and universities.

To download the 2024 New Mexico Educator Vacancy Report and view past reports, visit https://alliance.nmsu.edu/soar-center/publications.html. Data collection for this year's report was done by SOAR researchers Emily Heredia, Maryanne Long, Ashley Mathis and Bryan White.

The annual report was created in 2015 by education advocate Karen Trujillo during her tenure as a professor and researcher at NMSU. Trujillo passed away in 2021.

The full article can be seen at https://newsroom.nmsu.edu/news/nmsu-study-finds-decrease-in-teacher-vacancies-in-2024/s/dddf82c3-1619-4093-96dc-dc6f0820c4f9