Bibb County schools needs dozens more teachers.

Of the more than 30 vacancies for instructors here, 13 are needed to teach core academic subjects such as math, science, Spanish and social studies.

The teacher shortage is not a new dilemma, but one that has worsened in recent years in schools across the country. A myriad of factors are at the root of the shortage including fewer college students studying to become educators.

The pandemic has only exacerbated the situation, said Emanuel Frazier, assistant superintendent of human resources for Bibb Schools.

“We’re trying to be as creative as we can in terms of the way we recruit,” Frazier said. “We’re trying to have a digital presence so that we can maybe find some people who may have otherwise not looked at Bibb County.”

The district has contracted for years with Proximity Learning Inc., a Texas-based company that provides live streamed instruction to classes across the country, to fill vacancies as needed. The company’s website says it contracts with more than 100 school districts. Newton and Greene counties also contract with the company for virtual teachers, according to school board records.

Students in classrooms are monitored by an in-person substitute teacher while they receive virtual instruction from a certified teacher who can be located anywhere in the country.

The school board voted Thursday to contract with the company for $465,919 to fill up to 14 teaching positions.

“Our goal is, if we’re using them this semester, that we don’t have to go this route in the fall,” Frazier said, adding the district will monitor at least five college graduations this weekend in hopes of filling vacancies.

Proximity Learning was first contracted by the district in August 2016 to provide three teachers for classes at Weaver Middle School, Ballard-Hudson Middle School, Martin Luther King Jr. A few months later, in November 2016, the district updated the contract to hire seven more remote teachers.

There were a dozen unfilled teaching positions by December 2020 when the district contracted with the company to hire four more remote teachers.

The amount the company charges per teacher decreases as the district increases the number of contract teachers, Frazier said. The cost per teacher for the latest contract will be $33,280 compared to $48,000 for the three hired in 2016.

“It’s budget neutral, basically,” Frazier said. “The key thing is getting somebody qualified in the classrooms.”

Next semester, the Proximity Learning teachers will teach math at West Side High School, Central High School, Ballard-Hudson Middle School and Weaver Middle School, Spanish at Howard High School and classes at four elementary schools including Carter, Williams, Hartley and Southfield, according to school board documents.

More spots open at VIP Academy 

The VIP Academy, a remote learning option for students that launched earlier this year, will serve more students in 2022.

The academy serves 483 students – some in Jones, Twiggs and Peach counties – and about 600 more are on the waiting list. The BOE voted Thursday to increase the program’s capacity to allow for 100 more students to enroll next semester.

“The ones on the waitlist who applied are new enrollees relocating to Bibb or who will transfer from state charter or private schools,” Bibb Schools spokeswoman Stephanie Hartley said.

The increased capacity requires a change to the school district’s contract with Edgenuity, the company that owns the online platform the academy uses. The board voted to approve spending up to $135,000 in American Rescue Plan money to Edgenuity for the additional enrollment.

Insurance offered for school-issued devices 

Next year, the Bibb County Schools Technology Department will offer an option for parents to buy insurance for the district-owned iPads and laptops students use for class work.

Parents and students are responsible for paying for damaged and lost devices at cost for now, but the new insurance option, a $25 per-semester fee, would cover first-time damages to a device and knock $100 off the cost of replacing a lost one.

If a student damages or loses the device a second time, the insurance covers half of the cost for repairs. Chargers are not included in the insurance policy. Replacement chargers for Dell computers cost $45 and iPad chargers cost $40. Repairs must be made through the school district.

The insurance policy is an internal operation the school district will handle. Money collected for the policies will be used to offset the cost for necessary repairs.

In other business of public interest Thursday, the BOE approved:

• A contract with Sheridan Construction Co. to serve as construction manager for renovations at Westside Tennis Center at a cost of $82,775.
• Accepting a check in the amount of $1.4 million from the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. The money is a reimbursement to the district for property tax abatements the authority uses to incentivize businesses to come to Macon. It will be added to the district’s general fund.

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