(The Center Square) – Even as record numbers of teachers enter Michigan’s workforce, it’s still not enough to address the state’s teacher shortage.
This is according to a new report conducted by the Education Policy Innovative Collaborative, which is run by Michigan State University.
While less than 3% of all districts reported vacant full-time positions in the 2024-2025 school year, that number has been steadily increasing since the 2019-2020 school year.
The report found that one of the reasons is the number of teaching positions in Michigan’s public schools is actually growing, and growing much faster than the number of teachers available to work in those positions.
A decade ago, Michigan had 83,000 teaching positions available. Now, that number is 10,000 higher, at more than 93,000 teaching positions available.
Yet, the number of teachers has actually dropped slightly over that same period, though holding fairly steady at 83,000.
All that comes while public school enrollment in the state has fallen by more than 100,000 students, or 7%, in the last decade.
The teacher vacancies can have real impacts on schools, teachers and students throughout the state, according to the report.
“Vacant positions can disrupt any district’s ability to offer comprehensive, high-quality instruction,” the report said.
It also found that some schools and districts are being disproportionately affected by these vacancies.
“Fall 2024 vacancy rates were highest in urban areas at 6%, compared with less than 2% in suburban, town, and rural districts,” it reported.
Additionally, charter schools, schools with high populations of minority students, and poorer districts also saw higher vacancy rates. Teacher vacancies in more specialized fields like special education and world language also “far exceeded” the average teacher vacancy rate.
All of this comes following several years of significant financial investments by the state to try to increase the number of teachers entering the workforce.
While there are record-high numbers of new teachers, the report found that it still is barely able to keep up with the number of teachers exiting the workforce.
Of the new teachers, many are also entering the workforce less qualified than the teachers that came before them. Year after year, the number of Michigan teachers working under a temporary teaching credential continues to increase.
A decade ago, there were less than 500 teachers in the state using a full-year substitute teaching permit. Now, there are more than 5,000, which is a 10-fold increase. This is just one of four temporary teaching credentials Michigan teachers can acquire.
Additionally, many teachers working in Michigan schools have not yet completed a teacher preparation program or have their teaching certification.
This can have a real impact on students, according to the report. It could also be exacerbating the teacher shortage issues.
“Research has shown that having a certified teacher is associated with higher student achievement,” it said. “Non-certified teachers also leave the profession at higher rates, increasing instability for students and district hiring costs.”
Overall, the report found that Michigan schools are relying on “inexperienced teachers” at historically-high rates.
This report is the fifth that MSU has produced for the state of Michigan, following a request from the state legislature in December 2020.
In 2025, Michigan’s education rating continued to drop, ranking 44th in the nation.
