From left, Jamestown Public Schools Board of Education Vice President Joe Pawelski, President Paul Abbott, and Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker, conduct business Tuesday. P-J photo by Michael Zabrodsky

It’s the beginning of the school year, and students have returned to classrooms across New York State, but some teachers have not.

Districts within the state as well as other states are feeling the pinch of a teacher shortage. And the Jamestown Public Schools district is not immune to the shortage.

“I would say nationally, it’s very challenging to hire teachers. I know for sure, in New York state, it’s very difficult to hire teachers,” Superintendent Dr. Kevin Whitaker said.

Currently, the district has listed 11 certified positions including substitutes on the Western New York Schools Job Board.

“It has been difficult for a number of years, and we have adjusted our recruiting process to be a 365-day, year-round process to attract and retain teachers,” Whitaker said.

At the board of education meeting Tuesday, members approved a memorandum of agreement to allow the district to hire retired teachers to fill some vacancies.

“They are retired teachers who are coming back,” Whitaker said. “When we get to the end (of the recruiting process), and we just can’t find anyone else, we do have a proven cadre of professional staff who are willing to come back.”

Seven retired teachers will be returning to the classrooms in the district.

According to the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System website, nystrs.org, a two-year extension was signed May 9, and will expire June 30, 2027. The law allows a NYSTRS retiree to be employed and earn compensation in a position at a school district or board of cooperative educational services (BOCES) without suspension or diminution of their retirement allowance. Earnings received from April 9, 2022 to June 30, 2027 will not be applied to the standard earnings after retirement limitation of $35,000 in New York State public employment per calendar year.

Post-retirement employment with a charter school, community college, SUNY, or any other public employment is not covered by this law and is still subject to the $35,000 calendar year earnings limitation, the website noted.

To be a substitute in the district, Whitaker noted, applicants can be state certified teachers, or uncertified teachers, but the applicants must have a high school diploma.

The superintendent added that long-term substitutes must be in the process of obtaining state teaching certifications.

Uncertified substitutes are limited to the amount of days that they can be hired to sub.

Whitaker noted that in the event that a certified teacher can’t be found for a difficult subject to fill, like math, physics, or a foreign language, the district can make an appeal to the state education commissioner to extend the time of substitutes.

In other business, the board also approved a musical instruments inventory system. The system is being created so each school can track the instruments from each vendor, and date of purchase.

“I think it’s great that we’re able to stay ahead of these things, and make sure that we have a good inventory of useful instruments,” Board President Paul Abbott said. “So if and when, say, we have a difficult budget year, our music program won’t necessarily have to suffer because of the efforts of those who are keeping such good track of where we are in our inventory.”