Children First: Visalia Unified seeing success with teacher programs

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Finding a connection through music, Regine Abad says her favorite part of teaching is building relationships with her students and seeing them blossom.

She teaches at Divisadero Middle School -- one of the schools in the Visalia Unified School District.

While other school districts struggle to fill teaching positions, Visalia Unified started the 2023 school year with a credentialed teacher in each and every classroom.

"Our students are getting a higher quality of instructional delivery when it's coming from someone who has experience in the classroom, who has some training, who has some content knowledge," says Visalia Unified Superintendent Kirk Shrum.

That's not the case across the state -- the latest data from the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing showed 10,000 open teaching positions statewide for the 2021-2022 school year.

The same year, there was a 16% drop in the number of new credentials issued by the state.

Shrum said the district actually had to turn down many qualified candidates from a student teacher job fair because there was an excess of applicants.

He sees several factors drawing teachers to the district -- the student-teacher program, competitive benefits and the ability for new teachers to work towards a second tier of credentialling within the district.

"In many cases, that is something they have to do on their own, or they have to pay for out of their pocket," Shrum said. "But because we have our own induction program, we're able to provide that free of charge here in Visalia Unified, so it's a lot more convenient for that teacher."

They also offer mentorship, pairing first-year teachers with veteran educators.

Teachers who have worked in other districts prior to Visalia Unified say the district emphasizes an open line of communication between teachers and administration.

It's that support from the administration that allows Abad to develop the relationships she finds so important.

"We're able to support and focus in on every student, build relationships and develop skills and a solid routine for the students," Abad said.

For news updates, follow Kate Nemarich on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.