“Kansas has twice as many vacant teaching jobs this July as normal. And fewer people are applying for those jobs. That’s according to the state’s online job service for teachers.

“Educators say this is a nationwide problem made worse by state finances.

“‘With the block grant passing we were very unsure how that would impact us financially,’ said Charles Wakefield, in charge of recruiting teachers to the Wichita Public Schools. ‘So we held off on hiring for several weeks.’…

“If Kansans want a quality education to continue to be provided in public schools, educators say something needs to change.

“‘Residents of Kansas need to decide what is the value of public education for them and their future, their grandchildren and commit the resources to funding that,’ said [Jeff Hersh, assistant superintendent in charge of human resources at Goddard Public Schools].”

Read more here: http://www.kwch.com/news/local-news/kansas-schools-fighting-to-find-teachers/34061622