BLACKSBURG—Folks always said Carroll County native Sarah Jo Jones would be a fabulous ag instructor, though she had no intention to teach when completing her agricultural sciences degree at Virginia Tech in 2009.
“I was bound and determined not to be a teacher!” Jones recalled. “I was stubborn about it.”
While serving as a Virginia Cooperative Extension 4-H agent, work-life challenges of new parenthood closed some doors and opened others. So, Jones took a position as a provisional ag instructor in Smyth County, and then transferred to a new ag education program in Pulaski County.
“I really loved it,” Jones said. “Then in 2020, I had the opportunity to come home to Carroll County for a horticulture position.”
Vacant spots for agricultural instructors persist in Virginia’s public schools, with plenty of animal or plant sciences graduates willing to fill them.
Without teaching certifications, provisional licensure is a premature pathway to the classroom. But with barriers in navigating the complex, disjointed certification requirements, it’s difficult to retain capable instructors like Jones.
Only a bachelor’s degree is needed for provisional licensure eligibility, allowing new instructors three years to complete teaching licensure requirements—on their own time and dime. Jones was required to take six additional classes, including interdisciplinary studies like shop safety, first aid and other Virginia Department of Education requirements.
“Unfortunately, those classes are not cheap,” she said.
Teachers need 39 credit hours to satisfy certification requirements in the Code of Virginia. Jones almost completed a master’s degree in agriculture and life sciences—another path to teacher endorsement.
“You can access land-grant university certifications online,” Jones noted. “But that’s not practical and affordable for working teachers. What ends up happening—you piecemeal it to satisfy requirements.”
Her story isn’t unique. It’s systemic.
Opportunities took Jones in a new direction. As a past FFA state officer, she snagged her dream job as an associate Extension specialist for Virginia FFA, and recently earned her master’s in educational leadership from Radford University.
Jones is happy in the new role, but laments the shortage of ag educators for the next generation who deserve the mentorship of dedicated instructors.
“It has a big ripple effect,” Jones said. “There’s a teacher shortage in general. So, if we can make it a little easier to get quality people educated and certified to be in the classroom from day one, then that benefits everybody.”
Virginia Farm Bureau Federation Vice President Robert J. Mills Jr. knows of several graduates who served as ag instructors in Pittsylvania County. Their impact was truncated, as many lapsed out of their provisional teaching licenses before they could meet all the administrative code requirements for endorsement in agriculture education.
“Maybe being an ag teacher was an opportunistic-type career at first,” Mills said. “But there is not a coordinated path to making it a long-term career.”
The National Agricultural Education Supply & Demand Study reports nine ag instructor openings last year in Virginia, trending similarly to other states. VFBF leaders recently asked education experts at Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences how to develop a streamlined solution.
“The shortage of highly qualified school-based agricultural educators is a longstanding issue,” said professor Tracy Rutherford, head of the college’s Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education. “It has become easier to hire a provisional to hold a spot, so you don’t lose the position. Unfortunately, we’re hiring provisionals who are not prepared. And the expectations across states have only gotten higher for teachers.”
Agricultural instructors may teach up to seven daily classes on a range of subjects, pivot to FFA advisor duties after school, and manage all components of their ag programs. Having time or energy to fulfill teaching licensure demands while building an impactful agricultural education program is hardly feasible for these unendorsed instructors.
With increasing teacher demand and continued ag program expansion statewide, Virginia Tech’s AgEd Advisory Committee is developing programs, partnerships and legislative suggestions to help school districts and universities in Virginia with streamlined solutions.
Higher education programs have changed significantly over the decade to include broad education, Rutherford said.
“That paired with licensure and technical skill requirements in 120 credits makes programs look very different,” she explaind. “It is very much a ‘Jenga problem.’ We’ve got to put all the pieces together.”
The AgEd Committee found greater retention if teachers are successfully certified within the first five years of college and career, with local and professional support.
Jones is optimistic. As an AgEd Committee member, she said outstanding ag programs are growing in school districts statewide, adding new positions.
“The problem we have now, is there aren’t enough people to fill those!”
Though Virginia Tech’s Agricultural and Extension Education bachelor’s degree is actively recruiting prospective teachers, the AgEd Committee is leaning into modern solutions to address the shortage.
“We’ve worked hard on making that internal pathway easier for students to get their minimum teaching requirements while still in school, instead of after graduation when it’s much more difficult,” Rutherford said. “Now we will be seeking more information from stakeholders, including teachers, Farm Bureau members and school districts to really understand the demand in Virginia, the barriers to hiring and retaining teachers, and goals of administrators for the future of their programs.”
-Virginia Farm Bureau