(AP)--A Kansas State Board of Education panel is recommending a new licensing system to reduce the shortage of teachers in the state.

 The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the state education department said Tuesday there are 90 elementary school teacher openings in Kansas and more than 80 vacancies for special education teachers.

 A teacher vacancy committee has recommended an elementary licensing process that would require a district to identify people with "great potential" to be a teacher.

The person must have a bachelor's degree and be enrolled in an approved elementary education preparation program. The process to become a licensed elementary school teacher would take two years.

Board member Janet Waugh says the board hasn't acted on those recommendations because it didn't have the latest teacher vacancy data.