Frankfort, KY — As a new school is about to begin, teacher shortages are being reported throughout the state. According to the ‘Kentucky Teacher’, a publication of the Kentucky Department of Education, thousands of teaching positions in Kentucky schools remain unfilled. Since January, almost 5,000 open positions have been listed on the Kentucky Educator Placement Service, a free service of the Kentucky Department of Education. Kentucky’s teacher shortage reflects a growing national trend and according to Kentucky Education Commissioner Wayne Lewis, that denies many students access to good teachers. The Kentucky Department of Education will be calling attention to teacher shortages and the need to fill them through Go Teach KY, a teacher recruitment initiative that will be launched in the coming months.