Despite an average salary raise of around $6,000 a year, Oklahoma’s public schools are having trouble hiring certified teachers.

The reported figure for Tulsa Public Schools is about 340 noncertified instructors.

Here is how the number of emergency teaching certifications issued by the Oklahoma Department of Education has risen since 2011:

• 32 – 2011-12
• 98 – 2012-13
• 189 – 2013-14
• 506 -2014-15
• 1,063 – 2015-16
• 1,160 – 2016-17
• 1,975 – 2017-18
• 2,153 – 2018-19 (since August)

The Oklahoma State Board of Education approved another 400-plus requests last week.

School districts want to hire teachers who haven’t completed state requirements for certification and the number of requests is setting a new record high.

This summer, the board approved 2,153 requests for emergency certifications.

These emergency certifications include teachers who are certified in one area but want to teach in another subject or grade level. Most are people with college degrees who are new to public education.

When a district superintendent requests an emergency certification, he has to say that no certified candidates applied. People who get emergency certifications can teach for two academic years under a new state law.