W.Va. short 1,500+ certified teachers

CHARLESTON, W.VA. (WSAZ) -- West Virginia is heading into the 2022-2023 school year with roughly 1,500 vacancies for certified teachers statewide.

According to the Oct. 1, 2022, certified headcount enrollment, 1,544 non-certified teachers will fill classrooms in the upcoming school year.

That number is up from last year when the West Virginia Department of Education recorded about 1,200 vacancies statewide.

Data shows 23,187 professional educators will be in classrooms. That number includes teachers and administrators.

The following information was released in the 2022-2023 West Virginia public education snapshot:

250,049 students in public school
1,248 enrolled in public charter schools
60 enrolled in the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
637 public schools which includes two brick and mortar and two virtual charter schools
24,131 professional staff
23,187 professional educators including teachers and administrators
1,544 non-certified teachers
14,133 service personnel
22 career technical education centers
7 multi-county vocational centers
80 adult learning centers
14 alternative schools
22 juvenile programs