Alva Review-Courier -

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials are raising pay and fast-tracking various teaching professionals in a two-pronged effort aimed at combating teacher shortages.

Last year, Kansas schools had more than 600 vacant positions, many in rural areas and the state's most urban districts. Low pay has been blamed for much of the trouble attracting and retaining teachers.

Legislative approval of multi-year school funding increases amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars has given districts a chance to offer teacher raises that were difficult to include in previous budgets, the Kansas Ne...