On today’s episode of The Confluence:
The state has a shortage of teachers, but a new bill could help bring in new ones from out of state
(0:00 - 7:09)
Pennsylvania and the rest of the country are facing a teacher shortage. According to the state Department of Education, in the 2010 to 2011 year, about 21,000 new teacher certificates were issued. About a decade later, that number had dwindled to 7,695.
A bill passed by the Senate and being considered in the House would make it easier for out-of-state educators to get approval to teach in Pennsylvania schools. The bill would allow teachers who completed another state-approved educator preparation program from accredited higher education institutions to be eligible for an in-state instructional certification.
“We have more teachers leaving teaching than I have seen in previous years,” says Nina Esposito-Visgitis, president of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
She says the pandemic has exacerbated the ongoing issue, but adds that Pennsylvania, being a collective bargaining state, has been able to pay educators a competitive wage.
Vaccines for children aged six months to four years old may be available soon
(7:14 - 14:23)
On June 15, the Food and Drug Administration’s vaccine advisory committee is scheduled to discuss pediatric COVID-19 vaccines.
It’s been more than a year since adults have been able to get inoculated against coronavirus, but children six months to four years old are still unable to get the shot.
“The reason it's taking so long is the focus on vaccine safety,” says Dr. Andrew Nowalk, clinical director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
“We have to use different ways of measuring vaccine [efficacy] when we're talking about the young children who are less severely affected.”
Should COVID-19 vaccine for infants and young children be approved by the FDA, and the subsequent advisory council through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nowalk says shots could be administered to children as early as late June.
Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Restaurant list celebrates the city’s high quality dining experiences
(14:28 - 22:30)
Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene has gone through some serious transitions in the past few years. Longtime establishments have closed their doors and new ones have blossomed. Pittsburgh Magazine’s Best Restaurant List recognizes that.
Hal B. Klein, food editor and restaurant critic for Pittsburgh Magazine says he asks himself a series of questions when deciding which establishments make the cut:
“Is it delicious? And then it comes down to things like, are they leaning forward with hospitality? Does the design fit the space? And then there are those intangibles that you go to when you leave a restaurant, you think, ‘Man, that was a great night.’”
The Confluence, where the news comes together, is 90.5 WESA’s daily news program. Tune in Monday to Thursday at 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. to hear newsmakers and innovators take an in-depth look at stories important to the Pittsburgh region. Find more episodes of The Confluence here or wherever you get your podcasts.
