FORT DODGE, Iowa -- Administrators in the Fort Dodge Community School District are adding incentives to battle the ongoing teacher shortage in Iowa.

Though the school year has started for most Iowa schools, there are nearly 500 full-time classroom teacher jobs that remain unfilled.

Fort Dodge Superintendent Josh Porter said that his district has implemented sign-on bonuses for many positions. Those bonuses range anywhere from $3,000-$5,000, depending on the position.

Porter said that middle school positions are often the hardest to fill. The Fort Dodge CSD currently has 8th-grade positions open for a special education teacher, as well as a math and science teacher. All of those positions are being offered a $5,000 sign-on bonus.

"I think everybody's kind of realized a middle school tea

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