[pepsionice]

Here’s the thing....around Detroit and upstate Michigan....if you had forty vacant teacher positions, then mandated that a guy or gal had to pass that exam...well, you just ended up with positions empty. Most folks have zero interest in moving to Rapid River or Gwinn. Most folks would have zero interest in taking a job in Detroit. So this is the only way to fill the slots.

You will end up with probably a quarter of the teachers being marginal or weak in the profession, but it’s better than leaving it empty.

[Leaning Right]

> Most folks have zero interest in moving to Rapid River or Gwinn. Most folks would have zero interest in taking a job in Detroit <

You make a good point. But in my opinion, the solution is not to water down the qualifications. The solution is for the state to offer incentives to get good people to take those positions.

I had a friend who was a certified high school physics teacher. He interviewed for a job at a school way out in the country. He wasn’t too keen on taking the job because it was so far from everything. So the school offered him full-time pay for a half-time teaching schedule. He took the job.

Problem solved.

[Vigilanteman]

Baloney. Even truck drivers (who have a far more severe shortage than teachers) are expected to pass basic skills tests before getting licensed because public safety depends on them.

Your could hire a local housewife or retiree to proctor and get a qualified teacher to bring the class on-line. Some would be good enough to handle two, three or even more classes. The technology to do that is already here. My brother teaches college level courses by internet.