North Carolina’s educator workforce continues to face complex challenges, even as data show fewer teacher vacancies statewide. This week, the Forum looks at what the latest vacancy data tell us, and how investing in educator leadership can help strengthen the workforce for the long term.
Teacher and Staff Vacancies
With schools in full swing, the North Carolina School Superintendents’ Association released its annual survey results on teacher and staff vacancies. The overall number of K-12 teacher vacancies, including Exceptional Children (EC) teacher vacancies, decreased by about 7%. EC teacher vacancies decreased by 10% from the previous year. At the same time, districts reported the highest total number of residency-licensed teachers on record: 5,459, an increase of more than 5% from the previous year.
While teacher vacancies decreased, the overall number of vacancies across school systems increased, including vacancies among classified staff, bus drivers, and central-office positions. The distribution of vacancies across districts also remains uneven. A handful of districts reported very few vacancies, while many reported 51 or more.
The trajectory of teacher vacancies should be considered alongside several factors:
- District leaders have put significant effort into filling positions that are critical to students and schools.
- The NCDPI’s State of the Teaching Profession and School Administrator Report released in the spring showed teacher attrition rates holding relatively steady, suggesting that districts are retaining many teachers and limiting the number of new vacancies.
- The increase in residency-licensed teachers provides districts with more potential candidates at a time when enrollment and program completion in educator preparation programs continue to decline.
- Budget constraints and competing priorities have led some districts to eliminate positions and programs.
Together, these trends illustrate the complexity of North Carolina’s educator workforce challenges. Fewer teacher vacancies are encouraging, but they exist alongside uneven teacher distribution, continued vacancies in other school-based positions, and the ongoing need to recruit and retain qualified educators–particularly in high-need areas.
Education Policy Fellowship Program
Strengthening the educator workforce requires more than filling vacancies. Research suggests that professional learning and collaboration are among the working conditions associated with teacher retention, particularly when professional learning is sustained, relevant, and supported by opportunities for reflection and follow-up.
For several decades, the Public School Forum’s Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) has provided educators and other education leaders with opportunities to deepen their understanding of education policy while developing their leadership skills. The Forum is thrilled to welcome the 2026-27 Education Policy Fellows, who kicked off the program last week at High Point University as guests of the Stout School of Education.
This year’s cohort brings together 87 education leaders representing 39 counties across all eight North Carolina State Board of Education districts. Fellows include classroom teachers, principals and other school leaders, higher education faculty and staff, state agency professionals, researchers, nonprofit and foundation leaders, and education advocates–bringing a broad range of perspectives and experiences to the cohort. Learn more about EPFP’s goals here.
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