Teacher Vacancies: The Final Stretch to Lock in Next Year’s Educators

We’re in the fourth quarter of the school year, the final stretch where decisions made now shape the momentum for the next academic year. Spring semester is the season of tight timelines and high stakes. Classrooms are buzzing with EOY assessments, graduation checklists, and final projects. Principals are navigating student behavior spikes while also squeezing in teacher observations. HR directors are buried in staffing spreadsheets, hoping resignations won’t land in their inbox on a Friday afternoon.

Spring is when leadership teams gather around whiteboards, mapping out master schedules and crossing their fingers that last year’s hiring scramble doesn’t repeat itself. It’s when open positions start stacking up—and the urgency to act becomes very real. At this point in the year, hope alone isn’t a strategy. District leaders know that locking in next year’s teachers now, before summer resignations and retirements compound the problem, is the smartest move they can make. That’s why effective, scalable teacher vacancy solutions aren’t just helpful this time of year, they’re essential. 

Why the Teacher Shortage Persists

According to recent reports, the U.S. faces over 55,000 open teacher positions, and tens of thousands more are filled by underqualified and non-certified personnel​. From Alaska to Alabama, rural, urban, and suburban districts alike are all competing for a shrinking number of certified educators.

In some states, like Alaska, the challenge is exacerbated by the closure of local teacher preparation programs and geographic isolation​. In others, like Illinois, the teacher shortage has led to over 4,000 unfilled positions and hundreds of canceled classes​. But this issue isn’t limited by geography. The teacher pipeline has been dwindling for decades, and competition for top educators is fierce, especially in hard-to-staff subjects like science, math, and special education.

Proactive Planning Beats Last-Minute Scrambling

As districts prepare Letters of Intent or LOIs and draft contracts for the upcoming year, now is the most strategic time to lock in solutions for known vacancies. Waiting until June or July can leave schools scrambling during the back-to-school season, forcing them to rely on long-term substitutes or overburdening current staff.

That’s where our virtual learning model and district LOI promise make a difference. Our virtual teachers are certified in the states where they teach, experienced in online classroom management, and deeply committed to student engagement. They become part of the school community, working alongside in-classroom facilitators, attending PD sessions, and even participating in school events virtually.

It’s not just about plugging holes, it's about creating consistency and elevating the learning experience.

Success Stories from the Field

Districts like Posen-Robbins in Illinois have partnered with Proximity Learning for over six years to combat persistent teacher shortages. Superintendent Dr. Anthony Edison shared how his district has used our services to fill hard-to-staff roles, avoiding the dreaded option of doubling up classes or relying solely on substitutes.

“Without Proximity, we would probably have one teacher teach multiple classes… The other alternative is a long-term substitute, which is something that we would prefer not to do,” Edison explained​. Over time, the results spoke for themselves. 

“Our students who are being instructed through Proximity Learning are performing equally as well as students who are in the traditional classroom. That’s been pretty consistent throughout the six years.”

More than Just a Backup Plan

Many districts begin working with us as a last-resort solution—but they stay because of the measurable impact. Our students consistently meet or exceed state assessments as demonstrated by a Chicago State University peer reviewed study. Plus, our client feedback often includes how impressed families are by the level of interaction and personalized instruction our virtual teachers provide. With the rise of blended and remote learning across higher education, exposing K-12 students to virtual instruction also offers a long-term benefit post graduation. They gain experience with digital learning environments that will become increasingly common in their academic and professional futures.

Avoid the Summer Staffing Scramble

Each year, we see a familiar and preventable pattern: districts wait until late spring or even summer to start seriously addressing open teaching positions. By then, they’re competing in one of the most saturated and high-pressure hiring markets in education. The result? Stress for HR teams, rushed hiring decisions, and far too often, classrooms left in the hands of substitutes or teachers who aren’t certified in the subject they’re teaching.

According to the Learning Policy Institute, over 400,000 teaching positions nationwide are either vacant or filled by underqualified individuals—a number that represents nearly 1 in 8 classrooms across the U.S.​. And with over 55,000 positions unfilled at the start of the 2024–2025 school year, the stakes are even higher for districts trying to secure talent last minute​.

That’s why we’re urging school leaders to act now while Letters of Intent (LOIs) are still in motion and strategic hiring is still possible. It ensures students walk into class in August with consistency and confidence. Also, it signals to families that your school is committed to providing high-quality instruction, regardless of external staffing challenges. When schools plan ahead, everyone wins.

What Makes Our Teachers Different

All Proximity Learning instructors are certified, experienced, and trained in virtual pedagogy. But what truly sets them apart is their longevity and commitment. On average, our teachers bring over five years of instructional experience into their virtual classrooms. They’re not only credentialed—they’re classroom-tested professionals who understand how to foster connection, build trust, and deliver rigorous instruction, even through a screen. And they stay. 

Our teacher retention rates consistently outpace national averages as we have maintained at least a 90% retention rate over the last five years. Many of the districts we work with request the same Proximity Learning certified virtual teachers year after year—meaning administrators, facilitators, and students benefit from continuity and schools avoid the churn that so often disrupts learning. 

Our educators are skilled at using chat features, breakout rooms, and interactive tech tools to reach every learner, including those who might not speak up in a traditional setting. They collaborate with in-person staff to align with district pacing and priorities. Most importantly, they build lasting relationships with students, proving that human connection doesn’t require physical proximity.

This isn’t “click-through” learning. It’s real-time, high-impact, face-to-face instruction led by passionate virtual teaching experts who are here to stay.

Future-Ready Instruction, Today

In an era where flexibility and innovation are more important than ever, Proximity Learning’s Letter of Intent gives districts a way to rise above the teacher shortage crisis. We aren’t just offering a Band-Aid—we’re partnering with districts to create a future-forward staffing strategy that works because our numbers tell the story of partnership success time and again. Whether your district needs one teacher or twenty, for summer school or the full academic year, we have a proven, scalable system to match certified educators with the classrooms that need them most.

The teacher shortage is real—but so is the solution. District leaders don’t have to wait and hope for the perfect candidate to apply. They don’t have to settle for underqualified hires. And, they don’t have to disrupt learning for the students who need it most.

With synchronous virtual instruction from Proximity Learning, highly qualified teachers are just a click away. Partner with us and make next year your most prepared year yet—because every classroom deserves an expert educator, and every student deserves a chance to thrive.

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