Featured photo by Bailey Brantingham
Story by Bailey Brantingham
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While an increased search for new teachers in a school district might seem concerning to outsiders, to Murfreesboro City Schools, it signifies an exciting venture: growth.
After a recent Facebook post seeking out both interim and permanent teachers for multiple city schools, the question of “Is there a teacher shortage?” was raised. Seeking out new teachers for multiple schools in the middle of the school year might seem disconcerting at first, with many wondering if teachers are quitting or becoming harder to find. However, Murfreesboro City Schools holds that this is not the case.
“As we grow from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year, we have to add teachers accordingly,” said Murfreesboro City Schools director of communication and strategic initiative Lisa Trail. “Kids can enter school throughout the school year, and we did have quite a bit of growth in November and December.”
To supplement this student population growth, as well as teachers sporadically stepping down due to special circumstances, city schools have been actively seeking out new teachers. The City Schools office is dead set on hiring the best of the best, seeking out teachers through open calls, a recent job fair and even contacting education students directly through their colleges, with roughly 70 percent of new-teacher hires coming from Middle Tennessee State University.
Because the population of Murfreesboro increased by nearly 6,000 from 2022 to 2023, local services and schools face the inevitable task of adapting to change and morphing to keep up with these rising statistics.
“As the city grows, we have to grow with it,” Trail said.
Schools around the city ensure that no matter when a new teacher is brought on board, they have a nurturing support system at work.
“Every teacher who is new to our building, whether they have experience or not, is assigned a mentor in the building,” Discovery School Principal Caitlin Bullard said. “And then they work closely with our academic coach and receive support from her, whether that’s instructional coaching or co-planning.”
From academic coaches to in-school mentors and monthly administration check-ins, Murfreesboro City Schools are braced to catch new teachers whenever they may fall.
In a chain reaction beginning with the students themselves and ending with the Murfreesboro City Schools administration, it’s clear that no matter the time of year, Murfreesboro’s young minds are being molded by the best of the best.
Bailey Brantingham is a contributing writer for MTSU Sidelines.
To contact News Editor Alyssa Williams and Assistant News Editor Zoe Naylor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
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