Faced with a teacher shortage, West Texas school district may be latest to go virtual

The Texas Tribune:Faced with a drastic shortage of teachers, one West Texas school district may join a small but growing group of Texas communities settling for hiring some only available via screens.

The Ector County school board, which oversees Odessa and its western suburbs, will consider a proposal Tuesday to contract with “virtual teachers” through an Austin-based company, Proximity Learning.

“We’ll look at any opportunity to fill those vacancies, and this is potentially a way to have certified teachers in front of our kids every day,” said Michael Adkins, a spokesperson for the district.

Read article