“That year makes a huge difference”: VWSD forced to cut three pre-K classes due to staffing shortage

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — As the new school year begins, the Vicksburg Warren School District (VWSD) is facing a critical teacher shortage that has forced the closure of three pre-k classrooms, leaving dozens of children without access to early education.

According to VWSD superintendent Dr. Tori Holloway, the district was left with 21 vacant teaching positions across nine of its 16 campuses as of this week. Although that number is down from roughly 50 vacancies at the beginning of the summer, the district had to make tough decisions to prioritize core academic grades.

“Because pre-K is not mandatory [in the state of Mississippi], we had to move some of those teachers into first, second, and third grade, things that they were certified in,” Holloway said. “We ended up having to turn some students away.”

Holloway stressed that the decision was made to ensure the district met legal staffing requirements in the elementary grades while attempting to preserve classroom quality.

To manage the shortfall, VWSD has combined some classes and plans to bring in additional teacher assistants to support overloaded classrooms. “In some cases, we may have to increase class sizes from 19 to 25 students,” Holloway said. “But we’re committed to keeping student-to-teacher ratios reasonable with extra help in place.”

The superintendent noted that the shortage is particularly severe in special education. Two of the current vacancies are for teachers serving students with the most intensive needs, while others involve support for students requiring additional in-class attention.

“A majority of these vacancies are Special education,” said Holloway. “
We don’t have an answer for that. We have, I think it’s two of them are for our severe students who need the extra attention. 
We’re making a plan on how we’re going to address those. The others are for our students who need a little extra help in the classroom that we have got to try and fill. So we’ve got some ideas on that, but we are still short 21 teachers.”

In a bid to fill some of the gaps, VWSD has recruited 14 certified teachers from abroad through the H-1B visa program. All of the new hires are from Jamaica, a shift from previous years when many international hires came from India.

“These educators have been outstanding,” Holloway said. “They bring humility, professionalism, and a strong sense of service to the classroom. We had a teacher from Jamaica last year who did a phenomenal job.”

The international hires underwent a two-round interview process, first with Assistant Superintendent Dr. Cedric McGee and then with building principals. Holloway said all of the teachers are fluent in English and were thoroughly vetted before being approved.

Still, the international recruitment process comes with bureaucratic challenges, especially under new immigration regulations that require meticulous recordkeeping.

Despite the hurdles, Holloway said the district remains committed to addressing the staffing crisis and is actively recruiting certified teachers.

“If we find a certified teacher, that’s good for [the kids], because you don’t want to feel a vacancy with just anybody,” Holloway said. “They’ve got to be good for our kids and good for the district. 
So if we find a good candidate. The board has been good in supporting us. If we need to have a special call to hire people, they’ll come together so we can get them hired.”

The district continues to balance legal requirements, limited resources, and the academic needs of students, but Holloway said the decision to cut pre-K access is one of the most painful so far.

“We hated to tell parents that we couldn’t serve them,” Holloway said. “Pre-K is something that we value, but this teacher shortage… that year makes a huge difference when they’re with us.”