NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams School District students might have been surprised to be taught via live stream Aug. 10.

It’s one of the methods NASD is using to make up for a shortage of teachers in the district. Another is an expert citizen license, which acts as a temporary teaching license.

As of Monday, Steven Richardson, public relations coordinator for NASD, said NASD had 19 vacant teaching positions, down from the 43 positions open in July.

Richardson said the school district is continuing to interview to fill the vacant positions.

“This number will continue to drop,” Richardson said.

However, to ensure classes stayed available, the Edgenuity live stream software was officially adopted at the Aug. 7 special NASD school board meeting. The software allows teachers to teach classes remotely.

Richardson said the teachers are from across the state of Mississippi

At the Aug. 7 meeting, Dr. Tanisha Smith, NASD deputy superintendent, said students who are taught by this method will have a teacher’s assistant in the room to help supervise.

Richardson said the software is currently being used at Natchez Early College Academy for A.P. World History, Trigonometry/Algebra 3, Algebra 2 and Physics. It’s also being used at Morgantown College Prep Academy to teach Spanish.

As more positions are filled in the future, Richardson said the district may work the live stream classes in as an additional option to traditional classes.

“We just don’t know,” Richardson said. “We’re not at that point yet.”

Outside the realm of technology, Richardson said the district has also approved 12 expert citizen licensure applications as of Monday.

During the summer, the board approved the license applications during the course of several meetings.

After the Aug. 7 meeting, Board President Timothy Blalock said the license allows people who have knowledge of a subject, but not a traditional teacher’s license, to teach in a classroom under a temporary license as they work toward their permanent license.

Once the board approves their application, Richardson said they have to be approved by the state.

Richardson said some of the applicants are already employed by the district in non-licensed positions like teacher assistants or are long-term substitute teachers.

Richardson also said if their licenses are approved by the state, they will be paid as teachers. However, the license runs out after one year.

“We continue to encourage our staff members who are seeking those licenses to obtain the necessary permanent licenses,” Richardson said.

Richardson said two emergency licenses, renamed by the state as endorsements, were granted to teachers who already had their teaching licenses for one subject, but wanted to teach multiple subject areas.

However, Richardson said the district is attending job fairs to try and recruit December graduates for the spring semester.

“We’re really still trying to look for quality teachers who are going to fit right into the model for what the district is trying to do for student achievement,” Richardson said.

But until new teachers can be hired, Edgenuity and expert citizen licenses are there for the gaps.