Newark is taking action on its teacher shortage by rehiring teachers who already have years of experience under their belts.

New legislation that took effect in late February makes it possible for qualified school districts, such as Newark, to hire retirees to help fill vacancies. Newark has 113 vacancies in the school district.

"Areas of bilingual education, special education, hard-to-staff positions in the areas of mathematics and science are always something that the district has historically struggled with, and then the realities of the pandemic have just compounded it a little bit more,” says Superintendent Roger Leon.

Some of the over 40 retirees who've expressed interest are familiar faces to the district, but the application is open to all retired teachers in the state. They can actually start as soon as this school year. 

"We've kept in contact with them so we have a database that allows us to communicate with them, and this opportunity made us, with more intent, to do it sooner rather than later,” says Leon.

The district is still awaiting its application status for the five-year pilot program that lets it hire teachers with limited certifications. Both are hoped to fill the long-standing employment gap.

If you would like to apply, click HERE.