HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Recruiting and retaining teachers is now more important than ever. The state said it will need to hire several thousand new teachers as those already in the profession retire or leave. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You According to the state Board of Education (BOE), hundreds of vacancies still need to be filled at schools across Hawaii. BOE Chair Roy Takumi said emergency hires or substitute teachers fill vacancies every year, but it's not ideal due to low retention. Kaimuki grad catches harrowing moments of California fires on camera "Sometimes, [students] are in a class with just a long-term sub that isn't an expert in whatever subject that they are taking," said Tammy Yoon, a public school teacher. "That can really affect students and their learning – having to play catch up later." The national average is about 15 students to one teacher, per the National Education Association. The Hawaii Education Association (HEA) said the state's student-to-teacher ratio is much higher. "The student-to-teacher ratio is 26.5 to one," said Hawaii Education Association (HEA) President, Joan Lewis. "All of our students and the very diverse mix that they bring in means that we have to constantly work to ensure that we can get a professional that will help address all of their needs." The state said it is doing its best to find the most qualified teachers despite the shortage. Many teachers like Yoon stated Hawaii's cost of living makes it hard. Check out more news from around Hawaii "Unless we really resolve the compensation issue, I don't blame young people for looking at other career paths," said Takumi. "There's an effort to provide teacher housing. Grow your own internships, apprenticeships, tuition waivers, scholarships, those sorts of programs."