MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee's largest public school district could go virtual to fill some long-standing teacher shortages.
According to Memphis-Shelby County Schools Board documents, MSCS is set to approve spending more than $4.6 million on a contract with Proximity Learning to bring on 100 certified virtual teachers for the district for the next six months.
This is not the first time the district has done something like this, in fact the contract with Proximity goes back to the 2018-2019 school year. According to MSCS documents, more than 10,000 students enrolled in a section being taught by a Proximity teacher.
"It seems to me to be a quick fix program, another fly by night program. Proximity Learning is not in-school learning," said Keith Williams back in 2021 when the school board approved a $867,000 contract with Proximity Learning.
Now, Williams sits on the school board, who prepares to hear the new contract for the remainder of the school year. However, Williams said he needs to hear more data before he can sign off on the contract this go around.
“What happened in those years, and what was the success rate, the students’ progress? Did they learn, did they master the content? I don’t know," said Williams.
A similar hesitancy is shared with parents on Nextdoor. Many posted they were not comfortable with allowing their child to do long-term virtual learning again.
"The pandemic taught us that virtual learning for small kids had terrible results. Especially if you look at the TCAP scores for the state. Better way to get teachers is to start paying them a decent wage," said Jennifer B on Nextdoor.
"The solution to the teacher shortage is for our state to prioritize teachers and get their pay on par with other states," said Marla K.
After hearing the news, a mother of three MSCS students, Julie Roberts, spoke with ABC24 and shared a similar concern, suggesting parents should have the opportunity to opt out of virtual teachers if they do not want their students to be involved.
“It’s very frustrating. They should have discussed that with the parents, because...our children are directly impacted by this," said Roberts.
Roberts and Williams agree that the same money would be better spent on local teachers to help pull new people into the district.