Des Moines, Iowa — The Department of Education’s recent report on the state of education showed the number of full-time teachers in public schools in 2020-21 was up by 455 from the previous year to 37,567.
Department analyst, Jay Pennington, says special programs are part of the reason for the increase.
He says the programs have helped experienced teachers mentor the new teachers coming.
The average regular teacher salary was up 661 dollars to 58,771 in 2019-20. School districts this year appear to be having some of the same issues in hiring teachers as other businesses.
Pennington says they don’t know yet if the number verify the anecdotal reports.
The report showed there was a 13.1 percent increase in the number of full-time public school teachers from the 2000-01 school year to the 2020-21 school year.
