JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — School is out, which means the hallways and classrooms of Taylor Elementary in Jacksonville are officially empty.
While teachers and students are getting some rest over the summer break, Jacksonville North Pulaski School District (JNPSD) is hard at work.
"Statewide, we are experiencing teacher shortages," assistant superintendent Dr. Janice Walker said. "We've had to be very creative as we fill out positions and work really, really hard to seek out the applicants."
That work comes in the form of finding qualified teachers. That's something Dr. Walker said they're struggling with, as are other districts.
Despite that, the district is already getting ready for next year well before the first bell even rings.
"Look at, maybe, outside resources that we could pull in to assist us so we are able to do that to meet the needs of our scholars," Dr. Walker said.
That comes from the PEER Network, a collaborative effort between the Arkansas Public School Resource Center and the Crowley's Ridge Educational Service Cooperative.
Their goal is to get qualified teachers into the school and keep them teaching.
"We have jumped on that early, and so we are really moving forward with the next school year," Dr. Walker said. "We're filling several of those positions already."
That partnership gives the district a peer coach to let them know what's working and keeping students learning. It also gives them a diverse hiring pool to pull from.
At the end of the day, that's their goal – making sure students have the best education possible.
"Especially during the years of COVID, focusing on culture because we know that this has been a trying time for all educators," Dr. Walker said. "So we have to make sure that we are taking care of them and providing the support that they need in order to be effective in the classroom."