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Teacher jobs may be at risk in Virginia due to license backlog
Teachers jobs could be in jeopardy at a time when teachers are needed the most. Teaching positions across Virginia could be at risk thanks to a massive backlog in the licensing process.
Teachers' jobs across Virginia could be at risk due to a massive backlog in the licensing process required to teach students in the Commonwealth.
FOX 5 has learned that thousands of teachers' licenses are up for renewal and a process that usually takes a few weeks is now taking months, with no end in sight.
Virginia's Department of Education is responsible for processing licenses and renewals and FOX 5 has learned that the system to process them is outdated. This, combined with a lack of appropriate staffing has led to the delay.
In Fairfax County Public Schools, there are reportedly 3,000 licenses and renewals to process. FCPS has reached out to Virginia's Department of Education and asked them to work with the school district to expedite the applications.
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The Virginia Department of Education says they are working with Fairfax County to reduce the backlog in the processing of applications. They also claimed in a statement to FOX 5 that much of the backlog is due to "the submission of incomplete license request forms by the division and the uploading of insufficient documentation by both the division and applicants into VDOE’s online licensure system."
However, VDOE noted that the state Board of Education can extend provisional teaching licenses for up to 2 years at the request of superintendents and since early April has processed about 12 extension requests from Fairfax County.