Wintry weather came to northeast Indiana with force, with snow and frigid temperatures causing local school districts to cancel in-person classes for several days this week.
INDIANAPOLIS â The Indiana Department of Education and the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment, Inc. Wednesday presented initial findings from Indianaâs COVID-19 Academic Impact Study and released results from Indianaâs spring 2021 assessments.
The analysis and results indicate the academic impacts of the pandemic were substantial â ranging from moderate to significant across schools, academic subjects and demographic groups. And results for area school districts were no exception.
Results from the Indiana Learning Evaluation and Readiness Network (ILEARN) assessment showed students who were proficient in English/language arts totaled: 208 or 34.6% in DeKalb Eastern schools; 216 or 27.2% in Garrett-Keyser-Butler schools; 726 or 47.6% in DeKalb Central schools; and 38 or 26.8% in Hamilton Community schools.
âToday we may have two to three applicants,â Mast said.
Mast said there has been a teacher shortage for a few years.
âAnd it doesnât seem to be getting any better,â he added.
âThe cupboard is bare when it comes to hiring right now.â
DeKalb Central Director of Human Resources Wendy Pettis echoed similar sentiments on the reduced number of job applicants.
âWhile I still consider DeKalb to be an employer that attracts the best applicants, this hiring season, I have noticed that we just havenât received as many applicants for our open positions. That statement is true for both our certified staff (teachers, guidance, admin, etc.) as well as our classified staff. Certainly, there are positions that are a little easier to fill, such as an elementary teaching position, versus filling a high school science or special education teaching position,â Pettis said.