A problem in Louisville's school system

Like many communities, Louisville has a shortage of teachers. We talk about efforts to address it on this week's Access Louisville podcast. Rowan Claypool, founder and CEO of Teach Kentucky, is on the show to talk about his organization's work. Founded in 2003, Teach Kentucky aims to help college graduates launch their teaching careers in Louisville’s public schools. The organization has grown from bringing two teacher candidates in its first year to annually bringing a new 40+ person cohort of aspiring teachers from across the nation to the city, according to its website.On the show Claypool explains that they started 24 years ago when the idea of a teacher shortage was just a looming threat. Today it's actually severe and taking place all over the country. "What we discovered in building the program is there's always a shortage of good teachers at all times, forever," he said. With that, Jefferson County Public Schools needs the organization to bring people  from outside the community because the community itself can't produce enough teachers, he said. Fortunately, the district pays its teachers well and has some aggressive relocation incentives.There's more details on how the organization is recruiting teachers here and some of the lessons they've learned over the years on the episode. Also of note, Claypool is among honorees for Louisville Business First's Most Admired CEOs program. Access Louisville is a weekly podcast from Louisville Business First.