Dual credit child care class cut at Ottawa High School because of teacher shortage

A dual-credit vocational child care class at Ottawa High School will be cut as a result of a teacher shortage.

The instructor who taught the course last year resigned.

Superintendent Michael Cushing said the position was posted all summer but the school didn’t receive any qualified applicants.

“We only had six students registered for this class for the 2022-2023 school year, so this course offering was removed,” Cushing said. “Fortunately, interested students will have the opportunity to take this course over at the Area Career Center during the 2022-2023 school year if they so desire.”

The vocational childcare program at Ottawa was a preschool program that allowed students interested in becoming teachers to get experience. It’s not the only vocational course that’s been cut this year and Cushing said it’s not unusual to have to cut these courses because of a lack of interest from students.

“We are also not offering Vocational Culinary Arts given we we’re not able to find a third family and consumer sciences teacher for the upcoming school year and only seven students had registered to take this class,” Cushing said. “Note that each school year multiple classes are not offered due to low enrollment.”

Vocational culinary arts also will be available for students to take at the Area Career Center.

“It’s unfortunate that we were not able to find a third family and consumer sciences teacher for this school year but we are fortunate that the enrollment in these classes was low,” Cushing said. “Students can still take these at the ACC.”

Cushing said the school was able to find a new math teacher, approval of which will be voted on at a special school board meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 3.