Mississippi Reported 6,907 Vacancies, 1,747 More Than a Year Earlier. Nearly 4,000 Are Teaching Positions.

The Mississippi Department of Education's annual Educator Workforce Shortages and Strategies report, presented to the State Board in December, counted 6,907 vacancies among teachers, administrators and school support staff as of November, 1,747 more than the year before, with nearly 4,000 teaching positions unfilled. Every traditional public district responded, and the department asked for actual, not anticipated, vacancies. The Learning Policy Institute's 2026 scan reads the same data as 3,815 unfilled teaching positions, about 11.9% of Mississippi's 32,037 teaching positions, the highest reported vacancy rate in the country.

MDE's responses include a statewide talent portal, a licensure review focused on elementary, special education and math, a teacher residency, and provisional licenses for education majors to teach elementary classes while finishing requirements.

Our view: Mississippi's survey is the most honest shortage data in the South, because the department insists on actual vacancies and gets a 100% response. Pay is the long-run answer and the Legislature's to give. A district in the Delta with a special education caseload and no certified teacher is not waiting on a pay bill; it is delivering IEP minutes with whoever is in the room, and the state's licensure review will not change that this year.

What happened

• MDE Educator Shortage Survey (closed November 1, 2025; presented December): 6,907 total vacancies, up 1,747; nearly 4,000 teaching positions unfilled; 100% district response; "actual" vacancies reported.
• LPI 2026: 3,815 unfilled teaching positions, 11.9%, highest rate nationally; 2,095 not fully certified (2023–24).

Mississippi's survey is the most honest shortage data in the South, because the department insists on actual vacancies and gets a 100% response.

What it means for districts (analysis)

The facts belong to the department's, the researchers' and reporters'; the interpretation belongs to us, and we will own it.

Growth in special education vacancies is growth in undelivered minutes. A vacant elementary position raises class sizes. A vacant special education position leaves students with IEPs receiving services from uncertified staff, with compensatory obligations accruing.

Deliver certified minutes to the open caseload now. A certified special educator delivering instruction on the school's schedule, with the paraprofessional as facilitator, puts the license in front of the student while the residency, the licensure review and the pay debate run on their own timelines.

Practical considerations for district leaders

1. Report actual vacancies to MDE and use the same number with your board; it is the one that drives state strategy.
2. Convert every open special education position into a weekly tally of undelivered minutes by student.
3. Count certified hours per student in math and elementary sections staffed by provisionally licensed or out-of-field teachers.
4. Put a certified special educator on open caseloads now, with the para as facilitator, while critical-shortage incentives and the residency work.
5. District staff own the IEP team, the eligibility determination and the parent conversation under every scenario.

Where Fullmind fits

Fullmind, now home to Elevate K-12, delivers certified special education instruction live, on each school's schedule, with the paraprofessional who is already in the room as facilitator.

• SWD Services & IEP Fulfillment covers the caseloads. With more than 3,000 educators to draw from, Fullmind places state-certified special educators on special education caseloads.
• LIVE Staffing puts a certified teacher on math and core sections now staffed by provisional licenses; in one partner district, 44.7% of Fullmind students earned a C or above, compared with 25.1% of their peers.
• High Dosage Tutoring is a service Fullmind has run in large southern districts, where the site reports tutored students raised scores faster than peers.

Published Fullmind results so far are in live staffing, math growth and remote instruction, with special education results in progress. Today, what we can show is the model, the certification and the minutes delivered on the district's schedule. Mississippi's survey asks for actual vacancies; this is an actual answer to the special education line of it.

Run the numbers with us

If your district is in a critical shortage area with special education caseloads and no certified teacher, send us the caseloads and the minutes owed. We will show you a certified live schedule for this semester, hours per student, and the cost against the uncertified coverage in place. Schedule a consultation with Fullmind.

Sources: Mississippi Department of Education, 2025–26 Educator Workforce Shortages and Strategies (December 2025); SCT Online report on the survey; Learning Policy Institute 2026 scan. Figures are the department's and researchers' own; the analysis section reflects Fullmind's interpretation.