French 101, With Coach Buzzcut

West Virginia's public schools face yet another hurdle, and one that's growing.

Public Broadcasting offers the overview: "Last year about 10 percent of West Virginia’s teaching positions were filled by people who weren’t licensed in the subjects they taught." (With audio)

The classes run the gamut: math, sciences, English, foreign languages. "For instance, 56 percent of chemistry classes in West Virginia are not taught by certified chemistry teachers," The Charleston Gazette observed in its coverage.

Officials blame the state's chronic teacher shortage, and warn it will worsen as thousands of educators hit retirement age.

MetroNews offers a backgrounder on the topic, with comments from the state's two main teacher unions (with audio). Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval also opines on the situation in his online column today.