Chronic Shortages Mark Teacher-Hiring Season

By Jeanne Ponessa

Bob Vidal is looking for teachers, and he needs a lot of them.

The assistant chief operating officer for the Denver public schools has 450 classroom positions to fill by the fall, and he knows that finding that many new teachers isn't going to be easy.

For one thing, he is looking to hire the kinds of teachers who are always in short supply: special-education and bilingual teachers, and members of minority groups. And he is stuck with a shrinking budget that doesn't allow for much out-of-state recruiting, much less reimbursements to new...