With the academic year in full swing, many public school districts in the Baltimore area are still working to address teacher vacancies, but the gaps are not nearly as large as in the past few years.

Ranging from 171 vacancies in Baltimore City schools to zero in Harford County, the progress is measurable.

School officials and teacher union leaders say state-mandated salary increases, apprenticeship programs and recruitment initiatives have helped several counties reduce vacancies.

When classes started in August, Baltimore City Schools had 171 open teacher positions, six fewer than it had at the start of the previous academic year, according to the district. These vacancies will be filled by substitutes this year, the system reported, though it did not respond to a request for comment on the number of substitute teachers as of Wednesday.

“Vacancies can be attributed to the need for increased pay, better working conditions, and more support for teachers throughout their careers,” Diamonte Brown, president of the Baltimore Teachers Union, said in a statement.

Last year, despite a nationwide teacher shortage, the city hired a record 821 new teachers.

Baltimore City schools raised the annual salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree and no teaching experience to $58,895, a 9% increase, and the district has an apprenticeship program that helps paraprofessionals, or teacher aides, with degrees to complete their training while continuing to work, according to the system.

Additionally, the district sources educators from Teach For America, Baltimore City Teacher Residency and City Teaching Alliance. There also is an international component with more than 100 teachers recruited primarily from Africa and Latin America, according to Baltimore City schools.

Still, the teachers union sees room for improvement.

“The hiring practices in BCPSS can be improved,” Brown said. “There are times when qualified internal candidates are overlooked for positions, and hiring processes for external candidates are often lengthy and incomplete.”

School districts in surrounding counties — Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Harford — are implementing measures to recruit and retain teachers.

Baltimore County Public Schools had 73 teaching vacancies as of Aug. 26. Although more than 250 vacant positions were cut this fiscal year to save money for the programs designated by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the state’s multibillion-dollar, 10-year education reform plan.

“Positions are being filled, but it’s important to account for the positions that were cut,” said Cindy Sexton, president of the Teachers Association of Baltimore County.

The county’s starting salary for teachers was the first in the state to be raised to $60,000 as required under the Blueprint.

Baltimore County schools spokesperson Charles Herndon said the district is putting additional resources and personnel into improving English language arts and development, mathematics, early childhood education and special education.

Carroll County Public Schools had four teacher vacancies on the first day of school, down from 26 in August 2023, according to a spokesperson.

“Our success can be attributed to expanded recruiting opportunities and the implementation of a collectively bargained career ladder with a starting salary of $60,000,” said Ernesto Diaz, director of human resources for Carroll County Public Schools.

Earlier this year, Carroll County increased its education budget by $19.2 million to raise starting teacher salaries to meet the Blueprint’s requirements. Board of Education President Marsha Herbert said the salary increase was intended to attract a better pool of candidates. In a statement, Celeste Jordan, president of the Carroll County Education Association, also credited the increased starting salary for successful hiring.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools reported 67 teacher vacancies as of Sept. 10, compared to 171 in August 2023 and 283 in 2022.

Kristina Korona, president of the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County, expressed concern that the county’s focus is more on recruitment than retention and salaries for veteran educators are not competitive enough, she said in a statement.

“We do not want a revolving door of new hires,” Korona said. “We hope the county understands that while starting salaries will recruit educators, it’s the benefits, manageable workloads, and supportive administrations that will retain them long-term.”

Anne Arundel County offers bonuses and reduced workloads. It also is one of the few Maryland public school districts starting to prohibit cellphones in classrooms, Chief Human Resources Officer Jessica Cuches said in a statement.

“These approaches have had a significant impact on both recruitment and retention,” Cuches said. “The number of classroom vacancies in our district this fall is lower than before the pandemic, and separations of teachers and similar employees have decreased by 26 percent.”

As of the first week of school, the Howard County Public School System had 113.2 school-based vacancies, representing both full- and part-time positions according to a spokesperson.

“Every class is covered, and there are plans in place for special education and other areas as we continue to fill the remaining vacancies,” said Brian Bassett, a spokesperson for Howard schools.

In Harford County, there are currently no teacher vacancies, down from 179 open positions in early August. However, there are still openings for 36 paraeducators, 17 bus drivers, 12 bus attendants and 25 custodians, as of the first week of school.

Paul Lemle, president of the Maryland State Education Association, says implementing the starting salary from the Blueprint has contributed to decreased vacancies, but to retain teachers, their take-home pay needs to be adjusted over time to account for cost of living increases.

New teachers need mentoring from veteran teachers, collaborative planning time, and for both teachers and students to feel safe in schools, said Lemle.

“To keep teachers, they really need support,” Lemle said. “It’s a great job, and it’s also a difficult job.”

Baltimore Sun reporter Tony Roberts contributed to this article.