CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A recent surge of retiring teachers in Putnam County has school officials worried about finding enough teachers in the coming years.

Schools Superintendent Chuck Hatfield said the county should be able to fill many of the vacancies for the 2010-11 school year, but since more than a quarter of county teachers are already of retirement age, doubt looms for the future.

Out of the 792 teachers in the Putnam County teaching population, 205 are more than 55 years old, according to the state Department of Education.

"Obviously, as the number of retirees increases, it could be a problem," Hatfield said.

So far this year, 50 teachers have retired or resigned, according to the Putnam County Schools Human Resources Office. Last year, 23 retired, according to the state Department of Education.

"If that trend continues, it's going to get tougher," Hatfield said. "We don't expect to have any major problems filling positions [this year], but that also depends on what areas they are in."

He said the county already needs teachers for higher-level math, science and foreign-language classes. Some new teachers, along with proven substitutes, have been hired to fill immediately needed positions, he said.

In some cases, the substitutes have only a general background in the subjects in which they are hired, Hatfield said.

For example, a substitute hired to teach a chemistry class full-time might have a background in general science. The county must apply for a permit with the Department of Education, promising that the teacher is in training to specialize in the specific subject area.

Current teachers also are routinely shifted from school to school to make up for gaps left by retirees. So far, classes haven't gotten bigger to make up for fewer teachers, Hatfield said.

Others say the methods are a temporary fix to what will likely become a long-term problem.

"Filling those positions with substitutes does not really get at the issue," said Judy Hale, president of the West Virginia Federation of Teachers.

"We need full-time teachers who are involved with the students regularly," she said.

Hale said poor salary and benefits are parts of the problem.

The Legislature has not issued a general base-pay raise in more than two years. Putnam County teachers are calling it quits when they realize their pay won't be increasing in the near future, she said.

Compared to the rest of the states, West Virginia ranks near the bottom in average teacher salary, at $44,701, just ahead of Mississippi, North Dakota and South Dakota, according to a 2009-10 study by the National Educators Association.

Surrounding states like Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky are well ahead of West Virginia in average pay. The average salaries for Pennsylvania and Ohio are about $55,000, and Kentucky's is about $48,000.

Counties have the option to pay teachers more out of their general operating budgets. Putnam County's average salary ranks second in the state, at about $47,300, just behind Marshall County, according to data from the state Department of Education.

Still, with surrounding states offering more competitive salaries, attracting young teaching talent to West Virginia is a challenge. The fact that new hires were stripped of their retirement health-care benefits last year does not help, Hale said. In July 2009, the state Public Employees Insurance Agency ended retiree health-care subsidies for public school employees hired after June 30, 2010.

The PEIA board said eliminating the subsidies would help finance the state's unfunded liability -- then estimated at $7 billion-- for other post-employment benefits. Gov. Joe Manchin supported the move, calling it fiscally responsible.

The increased number of retirements is going to cause their shortages to be much more serious than they've expected," Hale said. "How are we going to attract teachers?"

Reach Zac Taylor at Zachary.Tay...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5189.