The Real Cost of a Vacancy Isn’t Just a Missing Teacher
Teacher vacancies have long been framed as a logistical challenge, something for HR teams to solve before the school year begins. But as shortages grow deeper and more complex, the true cost of these gaps is becoming harder to ignore. Vacancies don’t just disrupt schedules. They disrupt learning.
It’s understandable why many consider “fully staffed” to mean that every classroom has an assigned adult. In the face of recruitment hurdles, that alone can feel like a win. But when those roles are filled by long-term substitutes or educators without subject expertise, students often miss out on the high-quality instruction they need to succeed.
Recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that at the start of the 2024–25 school year, public schools reported an average of six open teaching positions, and more than one in five of those roles were filled by someone not fully certified for the job (NCES, Oct 2024). That means students across the country are spending critical instructional time with underqualified substitutes or temporary stopgaps.
Research backs up the consequences of this trend. A 2024 study by Dr. Jacob Kirksey of Texas Tech University found that students assigned to uncertified teachers experienced significant declines in reading and math achievement compared to peers with certified educators (District Administration, 2024). These learning losses are not temporary—they compound over time, limiting student growth and long-term success.
Being fully staffed shouldn’t just mean every class has coverage. It should mean that students are being taught by certified, well-supported educators who are equipped to deliver consistent, high-quality instruction. As teacher pipelines shrink and policy conditions shift, the real question for district leaders is no longer “Are we covered?”—it’s “Are students receiving the kind of instruction that drives outcomes?”
Protecting student learning requires a different kind of staffing strategy—one that prioritizes instructional quality, adaptability, and long-term impact.
Understand the Academic Impact of Staffing Gaps
When a certified teacher is missing from the classroom, the impact goes far beyond lesson plans and classroom management. Decades of research show that teacher quality is one of the most important in-school factors influencing student achievement. When that quality is compromised, so are student outcomes.
A 2024 report from Stanford University warns that students affected by pandemic-era learning disruptions and ongoing staffing instability could face a 6 percent drop in lifetime earnings, with students from low-income communities projected to lose closer to 9 percent (Hanushek, 2024). These are not hypothetical losses. They are measurable consequences of instructional inconsistency.
The Learning Policy Institute also found that more than 90,000 classrooms across the U.S. are currently staffed by teachers who are either uncertified or teaching outside their field of expertise (LPI, 2024). In states like Texas, over 60 percent of new hires in some districts are entering classrooms without full certification (Texas Tribune, Sept 2024).
Students notice the difference. So do parents. And over time, so do performance metrics.
When long-term substitutes or underqualified hires become the norm, the result is a slow erosion of instructional rigor. Students lose access to the academic momentum that comes from strong pacing, content expertise, and meaningful feedback. Over time, these gaps widen, making it harder for students to meet grade-level expectations, let alone excel.
The difference between coverage and quality is not just semantic. It is the difference between students falling behind and students moving forward.
Build a Resilient Teaching Infrastructure
When the teacher pipeline is uncertain and traditional hiring timelines no longer guarantee results, districts need more than stopgap solutions. They need a flexible, future-ready approach to staffing that prioritizes instructional quality, regardless of the labor market’s outlook.
Diversify your staffing models
As staffing shortages persist, districts are moving beyond the traditional one-teacher-one-classroom model. New, diversified approaches are helping schools provide consistent, high-quality instruction while making better use of the talent they have.
Districts are exploring new models like team-based teaching, where educators collaborate across classrooms, and Grow-Your-Own programs that help paraprofessionals become certified teachers. Many are also turning to synchronous virtual instruction, where certified teachers deliver live, whole-class lessons into physical classrooms. This approach, used by Elevate K-12, ensures consistent, real-time teaching and helps fill hard-to-staff subjects without compromising quality.
A strong example of what’s possible comes from North Carolina, where schools using the Opportunity Culture model—which places top-performing teachers in multi-classroom leadership roles—moved from the 50th to the 77th percentile in student growth for both reading and math (EdNC, 2024). These results show what’s possible when districts plan proactively for hard-to-staff subjects and use innovative models that ensure students are taught by strong educators.
Prioritize certified instruction, even in virtual formats
Quality teaching doesn’t have to be in-person to be effective. With the right supports and certified instructors, virtual teaching can provide outcomes comparable to traditional staffing models.
A compelling example is Paton-Churdan Community School District in Iowa. Facing challenges in filling teaching positions, the district partnered with Elevate K-12 to provide synchronous, whole-class instruction from certified virtual teachers. The results were remarkable: the district experienced a 256% growth in proficient state assessment scores. Students showed strong comprehension and a genuine eagerness for learning, highlighting the effectiveness of this approach (Paton Churdan Case Study, 2025).
Not only did students perform well based on their scores, but we also observed that they were grasping concepts comprehensively. It wasn’t just a few students; across the board, they were building a solid foundation for their high school science education.
Annie Smith Principal, Paton-Churdan Community School District (IA)
Make instructional quality the non-negotiable
A resilient teaching infrastructure is one that can absorb shocks—whether it’s a resignation mid-year, a drop in applicant volume, or a sudden change in policy. Districts that build their staffing models around certified instruction, with multiple options for delivery, are better positioned to maintain learning momentum in the face of uncertainty.
It is not just about who you hire. It is about how you design your system to ensure students never experience a gap in their education.
Use Data to Drive Community Trust
In a high-stakes environment, districts are expected to show results, not just effort. As community expectations rise and board scrutiny intensifies, district leaders need more than anecdotal evidence to validate their staffing strategies. They need data.
Student outcomes are the most persuasive proof point. That includes growth on benchmark assessments, proficiency on state exams, and classroom-level metrics like engagement, attendance, and assignment completion. These are the indicators that demonstrate whether students are actually learning, not just showing up.
Districts that can share these outcomes with clarity are better positioned to build trust with their communities.
That kind of evidence was critical for Lancaster ISD. Like many districts, they initially approached virtual instruction with caution, especially for hands-on subjects like high school Biology. Erica Butler, Secondary Science Academic Coordinator, was skeptical about how students would stay engaged and grasp complex content without a teacher physically in the room. But once the program launched and performance data started rolling in, her perspective changed (Lancaster ISD Case Study, 2025).
It’s been nothing short of amazing.
Erica Butler Secondary Science Academic Coordinator, Lancaster ISD (TX)
That confidence wasn’t built overnight. It was earned through student performance and consistent delivery of high-quality instruction.
Districts can also reinforce community confidence by aligning staffing decisions with clear academic goals. Instead of reporting only how many positions are filled, include how those placements are impacting student growth. This shifts the conversation from crisis response to strategic leadership, providing stakeholders with a reason to believe in the path forward.
When students succeed, the data speaks for itself.
Invest in What Can Be Controlled
District leaders today are navigating uncertainty on every front. Federal guidance is shifting. Teacher prep programs are shrinking. Visa restrictions have disrupted international hiring pipelines. And many of the once-reliable strategies for recruitment and retention are no longer delivering the results they used to.
But amid all that unpredictability, one thing remains firmly within a district’s control: the quality of instruction students receive.
While it may not be possible to predict every resignation or policy change, districts can still design systems that deliver consistent, high-quality teaching. That means building a staffing plan that doesn’t rely solely on traditional pipelines, and instead includes options that ensure students have access to certified, effective educators, regardless of format.
That’s exactly how many districts are leveraging Elevate. What may start as a solution for one hard-to-fill vacancy often becomes a long-term strategy. Once the partnership is in place, Elevate can quickly step in when new needs arise, helping districts avoid instructional gaps and giving leaders peace of mind that they have a plan in place, regardless of what the year brings.
Districts like Dougherty County are already modeling this shift. As Superintendent Ken Dyer shared, “We’ve incorporated Elevate as part of our human capital strategy, so we always have a plan for hard-to-fill positions.”
Having the mindset of investing in what you can control creates stability. It allows academic leaders to protect pacing and rigor. It gives HR teams flexibility. And most importantly, it puts student learning at the center of every staffing decision.
While some factors may be out of reach, the choice to prioritize certified teaching is always within a district’s grasp.
Focus Forward: Protect the Learning, Not Just the Roster
In the face of persistent vacancies, tightening pipelines, and growing public pressure, it’s easy for district leaders to focus on filling positions as quickly as possible. But a body in a classroom is not the same as a certified teacher delivering high-quality instruction. When we reduce staffing to a numbers game, student learning is the first thing lost.
The most forward-thinking districts are choosing a different path. They are shifting their definition of “fully staffed,” investing in flexible models that prioritize instructional quality, and holding themselves accountable to what matters most: student outcomes.
The good news is that solutions exist. From districts like Paton-Churdan, which saw a 256% increase in student proficiency by rethinking how they fill classrooms, to large systems like Dougherty that have built resilient, strategic staffing infrastructures, the blueprint is already in motion.
Now is the time to move beyond short-term coverage and toward long-term confidence. Because in this moment, it is not just about keeping classrooms running—it’s about keeping students learning.
If you’re ready to build a more stable, student-centered staffing strategy, get in touch with Elevate K-12. We’re here to help you protect outcomes and ensure every classroom has the instruction students deserve.