Not so for most school districts along the Wasatch Front. Given the increasing shortage of qualified applicants interested in teaching, school administrators count themselves lucky to reach that kind of striking distance.

After overseeing 545 new teacher hires with just 21 more to go, June LeMaster, executive director of human resources for the Jordan School District, which will split in July 2009, couldn't be happier. "This is the best shape we've been in for years," LeMaster said.

With 34 teaching positions still open, the mood at Alpine School District is less upbeat, but hopeful. The district has seen a steady decline in applicants, said Ronda Brom-ley, spokeswoman for the district. "We've certainly seen that this year," Bromley said. "We're still confident they'll be filled by the time school starts."

Confident but concerned is the mood of most school district recruiters this time of year. State lawmakers have worked with education administrators for years to ease the hiring crunch. From programs designed to pique interest in the profession among high schoolers, to making it easier for older teachers to re-enter the profession, almost no method, technique or incentive is off limits. Except, that is, luring teachers with more money, due to limits set by state and local budgets. Starting teachers with bachelor's degrees in the Salt Lake City School District make $37,280, while those in the existing Jordan School District begin at a base rate of $28,207 with the possibility of making $34,168 if they take advantage of professional advancement programs.

For those interested in the profession's intrinsic rewards despite the financial limitations, the State Office of Education has opened the door of opportunity as wide as possible. Tell them you're interested in teaching high-demand fields of math, science, special education or early childhood development, in fact, and the door might open just a bit more.

This June, the state processed more than 500 applicants for its alternative route to licensure program, which allows candidates holding bachelor's degrees to enter the teaching field while they earn teaching degrees. Those without a degree, but who instruct students at an hourly rate paid by a school or school district, can apply for the paraeducator's scholarship to earn a teaching degree. High school students and others entering teaching preparation courses at Utah universities can take advantage of the T.H. Bell Incentive Loan Program, then pay down the loan by teaching at hard-to-staff schools in sought-after teaching fields.

Utah schools hope they won't wait long for these programs to increase teaching ranks. "Our universities are just not able to produce enough teachers to meet demand," said Sydnee Dickson, director of educator quality and licensing at the State Office of Education.

To help fill its needs at the elementary level, and with bilingual programs, Salt Lake City School District this year brought in four teachers from Mexico.

"It's a pretty common theme that all the districts are struggling to find qualified candidates," said Patrick Garcia, human resources director for the Salt Lake District.

Even with a qualified candidate in hand, districts must then find the right fit among teacher, school and principal.

Karen Thomson, principal of the new Falcon Ridge Elementary School in the Jordan School District, said the excitement of launching a school for the first time helped fill all her teaching and staff positions.

"I'm one of the fortunate ones," Thomson said. "We had a lot of applicants who really wanted to be part of a new school."

LeMaster finds a silver lining in the current state of the national economy, which she said has brought a few old and former teachers back into the classroom.

"Families who could live on one income now need two incomes for additional money," she said.