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Texas Public Schools Hiring Fewer First-Year Teachers

The number of first-year teachers hired in Texas public schools has dropped significantly, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

The paper looked at data from the Texas Education Agency, which shows that fewer than 15,000 first-year teachers were hired during the 2011-12 school year, far less than the 25,000 teachers hired in 2008. Last year was also the first year in recent history in which public schools lost more teachers than they hired.

A number of reasons contributed to the loss, including the recession and cuts to education funding, the paper reports.

Stella M. Chávez is KERA’s immigration/demographics reporter/blogger. Her journalism roots run deep: She spent a decade and a half in newspapers – including seven years at The Dallas Morning News, where she covered education and won the Livingston Award for National Reporting, which is given annually to the best journalists across the country under age 35.