More schools across Wisconsin are turning to emergency teaching licenses to fill staffing gaps, revealing a significant trend in both small and urban districts.
A recent report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum highlights this rise in temporary teaching licenses, which allow individuals with relevant education or career backgrounds to teach without a permanent license.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction issued roughly 4,000 emergency licenses for the 2023-24 academic year. This is a slight increase from the previous year but marks a substantial 20 percent rise since 2022, according to the findings.
Particularly notable is the surge in emergency licenses for extracurricular subjects. Between 2022 and 2024, Spanish saw a 49 percent increase, while physical education experienced a 96 percent rise in emergency licensing.
Special education, regular education, and elementary/middle education remain the subjects with the highest number of emergency licenses, showing a combined growth of 10.9 percent over the past year.
However, concerns have been raised about the implications of this trend. The National Council on Teacher Quality has criticized the use of emergency licenses. Heather Peske, president of the council, argues that placing “unqualified, emergency-licensed teachers” in classrooms is problematic. She stated that these educators “go into classrooms without the content knowledge and skills they need to be successful with students,” which makes them “less effective” and often results in them teaching “the most vulnerable students at higher rates.”
Statewide, the emergency license rate among educators stands at 3.6 percent, but this figure varies across different districts. Among districts with 500 to 1,000 students, the average rate in 2024 was 3.3 percent, while it was 2.9 percent for districts with 1,000 to 3,000 students. The largest districts, with over 3,000 students, slightly exceeded the statewide rate at 3.7 percent.
Donald Cramer, a researcher from the Policy Forum behind the report, notes the perception of a teacher shortage, though many educators are graduating from Wisconsin universities. He highlights specific shortages in certain areas and regions. Many emergency license applicants are professionals who, after earning a bachelor’s degree in a non-education field, decide to pursue teaching without returning for a full education degree.
“Instead of going back to school for four years and getting an education degree, they’re taking their English degree or their science degree and taking this route,” Cramer explained. “Because when they were 18 years old, they didn’t realize that they wanted to become teachers.”
Traditionally, Wisconsin teachers obtain a bachelor’s degree in education, fulfill state licensing requirements, and receive a Tier II provisional license. Those pursuing non-traditional paths can opt for a Tier I temporary license, which requires a bachelor’s degree and a background check, allowing them to teach for up to three years while working toward a Tier II license. Some educators with a Tier I license may already hold a Tier II license in another subject.
