As school choice gains traction, Wisconsin public schools are struggling to keep students and recruit enough teachers.
A brand new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum (WPF) found emergency teacher licensing increased 20% since 2022.
Emergency licenses are needed “when the traditional pipeline – schools of education – does not yield enough candidates in their needed areas,” WPF explained.
“They [public schools] might recruit brand-new teachers with no formal education training. Alternatively, a district may ask experienced or retired teachers, or school support staff, to take on roles for which they are not yet licensed.”
As of 2024, over 4,500 Wisconsin teachers – or 3.6% – were using emergency licenses. Rates were much higher in the state’s largest school districts such as Milwaukee (5.6%), Green Bay (5.8%), Madison (7%) and Racine (7.4%).
