В штате Техас учителя в частных школах-хартер почти в семь раз чаще не имеют государственной аттестации, чем в обычных школах

SAN ANTONIO – Charter school teachers in Texas were nearly seven times are likely to be uncertified as teachers working in traditional public school districts, according to KSAT Investigates’ analysis of last school year’s data from the Texas Education Agency. Earlier this month, KSAT Investigates began looking at the impact of uncertified teachers on education. After the initial story focused on public school districts, several viewers asked KSAT Investigates to look into uncertified teachers at charter schools. Research shows uncertified teachers in public schools linked to learning loss, but results are different in charter schools Many Texas school districts are having a hard time finding teachers to fill their classrooms, which is why they have turned to uncertified teachers. “We’re all competing for that one or two math teachers amongst 15 or 16 districts,” South San ISD superintendent Saul Hinojosa said. Texas Tech professor Jacob Kirksey, who has studied uncertified teachers for years, explained how his research showed uncertified teachers’ negative impact on education in Texas. “Uncertified teachers are linked to learning loss for students,” Kirksey said during an interview with KSAT about uncertified teachers in traditional public schools. “My research shows, on average, it links to learning lost of about three months in math and four months in reading for students.” But for charter schools, Kirksey said his research shows the results are different. “We’re digging into more about why that might be, but the data suggest that certification matters less for charter school teachers,” said Kirksey in an email. “We speculate it is likely something to do with better hiring practices or induction supports.” Texas law requires districts to have certified teachers teaching core subjects, such as English, math, science, and social studies by the start of the 2029-30 school year. However, the Texas Education Association (TEA) said the law does not apply to charter schools, which operate under a different statutory framework than districts and are granted certain autonomies in exchange for increased accountability. How many uncertified teachers are in the San Antonio area? KSAT Investigates found more than 3,800 uncertified teachers were teaching in Bexar County-area schools during the 2025-26 school year, which made up about 3% of total full-time teachers. KSAT Investigates looked at TEA data from charter school districts across the state, which shows more than 54% of full-time charter school teachers who taught last year were uncertified. Some charter school districts have schools across the state, but the TEA data is only shown for one region. For charters school districts that have schools in the San Antonio region, the rate is a bit higher. KSAT found that 63% of those charter school teachers who taught full-time last school year were uncertified. Despite it being a charter school with one Northeast Side location in San Antonio, Heritage Academy’s data shows it had the highest rate of uncertified teachers out of any type of school across the San Antonio region, which includes 18 counties. Out of 38 full-time teachers at Heritage Academy, data shows more than 32 were not certified by the state — which amounts to 85 percent of teachers who were not certified. Great Hearts Texas has schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and six schools in the San Antonio area. Data showed nearly three out of every four full-time teachers lacked certification. IDEA Public Schools has 11 schools in San Antonio, but operates 143 schools across the state. Across IDEA’s network, data shows seven out of every 10 full-time teachers last school year were not certified. KSAT Investigates presses charter schools on uncertified teachers KSAT Investigates emailed the charter school districts to speak with leaders about the high number of uncertified teachers, as well as any steps they may take to get more certified teachers in the classroom. IDEA Public Schools senior public relations manager Alicia Myers did not make any leaders available, but the charter school responded with the following statement: “IDEA Public Schools is committed to hiring and retaining highly qualified, well-prepared, and mission-aligned teachers through a rigorous selection process. IDEA’s hiring practices comply with all applicable state and federal requirements. We are committed to building a strong educator pipeline. For positions where certification is not legally required, certification is encouraged and supported through employer-subsidized alternative certification programs, partnership and preparation opportunities. IDEA develops and supports teachers and teacher leaders while maintaining a focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining strong educators who prepare scholars for success in life and college.” IDEA Public Schools When KSAT Investigates didn’t receive a response from Heritage Academy or Great Hearts after several emails, KSAT visited their district offices. Staff at Great Hearts told KSAT Investigates to expect a call from Ryan Travis, Great Hearts’ director of strategic communications. Travis said the chances of an on-camera interview were low. In an email, Travis explained why data showing the school’s rate of uncertified teachers could be high. “We place an assistant or ‘apprentice’ teacher in nearly every K–5 homeroom to keep ratios lower and help ensure each scholar is known and loved,“ Travis wrote. ”Many do not yet hold an SBEC credential, so that model likely pushes our percentage upward. For comparison, IDEA also uses co-teachers, but as I understand it, targets them only up to 2nd grade and then SPED in Lower Schools." At Heritage Academy, staff told KSAT Investigates someone would call back, but the school did not respond by late last week. KSAT Investigates is still waiting to hear from the school. This story will be updated online once staff sends a response. Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.