Chairman Buckley and distinguished members of the House Public Education Committee:
Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Dr. Heath Morrison, and I am the CEO of Teachers of Tomorrow, the state’s largest alternative certifier of Texas educators. I have held this position for just over a year. As a career educator who has served in many roles — teacher, principal, and superintendent of three school districts, most recently of Montgomery ISD here in Texas — I am particularly vested in training educators to best serve children and address the teacher shortage we are currently facing. As a superintendent of some of the largest school districts in the nation, I have been responsible for hiring thousands of teachers and now am responsible for providing quality, certified teachers to Texas classrooms. The rise of uncertified educators in our state is alarming and I thank you for your attention to this important issue.
The rapid increase in uncertified teachers within our state has truly been alarming and caught many internal and external stakeholders by surprise. In 2018, uncertified teachers accounted for less than 10% of new hires in Texas. In 2024, that number has risen to 34%. With numbers doubling almost every year from just over 7,000 in 2022, to over 15,000 in 2023, some university experts are predicting we could have over 30,000 uncertified teachers in the next several years. These numbers only represent new hires and do not fully represent the number of total uncertified teachers in Texas schools today.
And what is the impact of this? A recent Texas A&M study found that students lose at least four months of learning with newly hired uncertified teachers. Other research suggests the gap to be even more severe. Additionally, uncertified teachers leave the classroom at a much higher rate than certified teachers with 67% leaving within three years. And with rural schools and high poverty schools being the most likely placement of these teachers, the negative impact of this crisis is being felt hardest by our most vulnerable children.
As the media gets much more involved in reporting this issue, there is a natural tendency to blame school districts for such issues. That would be unfortunate and unfair. As a former superintendent, I have unique access to superintendents and HR directors, and I can attest to the fact that in all my many interactions with districts, nobody is hiring uncertified teachers as a preference; they are doing so out of necessity. With the impact of the pandemic hastening an exodus of teachers leaving the classroom, and many issues, including pay, making the profession of teaching less attractive, the supply of certified teachers is not keeping up with the attrition and subsequent demand. School districts are trying their best to respond by encouraging paraeducators and substitutes to pursue teaching certification; providing release time for uncertified educators to work on test prep or actual course work; and establishing district timeline requirements to obtain that certification. While all of these efforts are to be commended, districts cannot meet this challenge alone. They require assistance.
At Teachers of Tomorrow, we are trying to provide that assistance and help meet this moment. We have created unique partnerships, at no cost, to districts with the largest populations of uncertified teachers to work in collaboration to get these individuals to their certification. We have created customized dashboards that can chart these candidates’ progress; we are providing free premium test preparation to help more of these uncertified teachers pass required tests; and we are offering to provide after school and weekend instruction, in person and in the district, to help candidates complete their coursework. While I am pleased that we are seeing some initial progress, more assistance is needed to address this challenge.
This needed assistance can and must come from the state. As the largest single provider of certified teachers in the country, we are able to see how other states are responding to this national teacher shortage and the rise of uncertified teacher hirings. What are some of the more successful initiatives many states are implementing? States are acknowledging that districts will have to hire uncertified teachers, but they are requiring these individuals to be actively enrolled in a certification program, be it a university program or EPP, and that they make adequate progress toward completion. States are instituting timelines, usually one or two years, for candidates to obtain their certification. And many states are providing resources, in the form of scholarships, to provide for all or a portion of the program fees for uncertified teachers who obtain their certification. All of these initiatives can, and should, be considered by the state of Texas.
As a superintendent, I always tried to avoid the use of the word “crisis” because it needs to be reserved for truly momentous moments. However, that word accurately describes the current rise of uncertified teachers in our state. Soon, with potentially 30,000 uncertified teachers being hired as new educators each year, we are going to go from 1 out of every 3 news hires not having certification, to well over half of new teachers in Texas. And, because of the disproportionate impact on rural and poor communities, we are going to see our state’s children who need the best, most experienced teachers, being taught by the least experienced and least qualified. That’s not Texas. We would not allow our own children to receive medical attention from an unlicensed doctor nor be defended in court by someone without a law degree. Why would we place a lower standard on the honor and privilege of teaching our children? That’s not Texas. Much can be done by the legislature in the upcoming session. Addressing a true crisis, prioritizing our children, and finding thoughtful solutions; that is Texas. I thank you for having the privilege to address this committee today and for the work that lies ahead to solve this growing crisis.