Summary: There's a teacher shortage everywhere and one local organization is trying to bridge that gap in rural communities. In this Ozarks Tonight, Jenifer Abreu talked to Dr. Julie Leeth, education liaison for the CFO and coordinator of RSP and Ozarks Teacher Corps. A recent report shows CFO's scholarship program has a 92 percent placement rate and of those teachers who got jobs after graduation, about 73 percent are still teaching at those same schools. Throughout the years, the scholarship program has benefitted students at MSU, MSU-West Plains, Drury University and Evangel University. Recipients have to commit to teaching in a rural district for at least three years after graduation. Since 2010, the Ozarks Teacher Corps has awarded more than $800,000 in scholarships. It's placed more than 60 teachers in rural Ozarks schools and currently has 18 teacher-education students. Dr. Leeth said one of the challenges comes after the program is completed - many teachers are not going on to receive their master's degree whether for financial or other personal reasons, and that's something she hopes CFO will be able to help with in the future.
