Akron and Cleveland, two of the biggest school districts in Northeast Ohio, are moving into the school year with more than 100 teacher vacancies each.

Pat Shipe, president of the Akron Education Association, Akron's teacher union, said the vacancies are "very concerning."

"I've never seen it as high as it has been this year," she said.

Shipe said the vacancies are due to a number of factors. For one, the district laid off 52 teachers in May 2024 in an attempt to cut its budget.

"Those people didn't stand around waiting until now, a year later. They went to other districts," she said.

The district is currently trying to fill 162 vacant positions, it said in a press release this week, about 8% of its "teaching and classroom support roles," which includes 94 teachers.

Shipe said fewer

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