The State University of New York says it’s considering developing its own teacher certification program to help staff their charter schools. The schools are dealing with a teacher shortage, which has been blamed on the state’s rigorous teacher qualifications.
Right now the state requires teachers to have a master’s degree in education. With their own certification program, charter schools could hire applicants who have a bachelor’s degree and 30 credit hours of study in education.
Joe Belluck, the chair of the SUNY Charter Schools Committee, says it would open jobs to qualified professionals.
“That, for example could include college professors, who are teaching in a college level, some may even have a Ph.D., that did not go through the teacher certification steps.”
But teacher unions in the state say it would allow people to skirt the state’s requirements.
The SUNY Charter Schools Committee is taking public comment on their proposal.
