FRANKFORT, Ky. - Kentucky’s teacher shortage is getting worse at a time when the number of students is rising at a similar rate.

The Kentucky Office of Education Accountability says the problem has only gotten worse the past decade.  Since 2010, the number of teachers decreased by 1,600, while the number of students in Kentucky schools grew by about 1,800.

OEA Research Analyst Allison Stevens said the teacher shortage reaches across a number of subjects.

“Principals reports of the supply and quality of teacher applicants indicates teacher shortages in nearly all subjects, but particularly physics, chemistry, transportation, engineering, math, world languages, and family and consumer sciences,” Stevens said. “Teacher preparation program completers and the upcoming retirement eligibility of current teachers suggests shortages could increase.”

And many school principals say they’re not getting any applicants to fill openings, much less any qualified teachers.

“And principals reported addressing teacher shortages in ways that do not appear in the data because they do not involve a teacher with an emergency certificate or an alternative certificate, such as eliminating classes, increasing class sizes, renewing non-effective teachers, or hiring lower-quality teachers rather than having an unfilled position,” Stevens said. “Although these teachers may have been fully certified.”

Stevens said these measures to make up for a lack of qualified candidates can lead to bad outcomes in the classroom.

“When turnover is high, schools have difficulty carrying out organizational goals, and building relationships with students, parents and the community. Quality replacement teachers are often limited, and schools must spend time and resources training new teachers,” Stevens said. “Student achievement, disciplinary issues and school culture can be negatively affected by new and inexperienced teachers. But some principals reported that turnover is beneficial and allows for a positive cultural shift.”

When it comes to high school, physics, chemistry and transportation suffer the worst.

More than 68 percent of principals say they can’t find any good applicants for physics, and more than 81 percent say it’s worse than five years ago.

More than 60 percent of principals say they can’t find applicants for chemistry or transportation teaching jobs, either.

So what can be done about it?

The report from the OEA suggests a few things, including more mentor support for teachers.

MORE: OEA Report on Kentucky's Teacher Shortage

Rep. Steve Riley, R-Glasgow, was a school administrator for nearly two decades, and he said more support for teachers in is crucial to keeping them.

“A lot of the dilemmas that principals face is that if you get a teacher in a critical area, and they’re struggling, you’ve got to figure out a way just to keep them because if you don’t, you’re going to be without anybody,” Riley said. “And that obviously has a negative impact on your students.”

The report also concluded low salaries and benefits compared to the private sector are another barrier to recruiting and keeping teachers.

Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville, is also a teacher. She said boosting those benefits should be a priority.

“I just hope that we take that into consideration as we look at legislation in the upcoming year, particularly in regard to pensions,” Bojanowski said.