A handful of San Francisco elementary school principals facing an urgent need to fill positions for the fall have hired Teach for America recruits despite the school board’s vocal opposition to the organization.

In May, the board severed the district’s partnership with Teach for America, which supplies enthusiastic if inexperienced teachers to thousands of schools in lower-income communities across the country.

The principals, including those at Bret Harte, Lakeshore and Flynn elementary schools, knew the board’s position. But with a big teacher shortage weighing on them, they said politics mattered less than finding the best teachers to put in front of children.

The principals, who have so far taken on eight candidates from Teach for America, didn’t break any rules.

The hires are intern-credentialed teachers, among several dozen such interns who will be teaching in city schools this year while enrolled at a university to earn a full credential. What makes them unique is they are still with Teach for America, often called TFA, and will be supported throughout the year by the organization.

The hiring of Teach For America members, though, clearly was in opposition to the school board’s will. Board Vice President Shamann Walton was “livid.”

“I’m upset to hear this is happening,” he said. “It goes against the intent to make sure we have qualified, credentialed, long-term teachers in our schools.”

A majority of board members said they no longer wanted to staff some of the district’s neediest schools with recent college graduates committed to only a two-year teaching stint — though many Teach For America teachers stay longer.

Teacher shortage

The stance is out of touch with reality, said Bret Harte Principal Jeremy Hilinski, who entered the profession through Teach for America.

Schools like Bret Harte in the city’s southeast Bayview neighborhood, where 90 percent of students come from low-income families and nearly half are English learners, have an even harder time finding teachers, he said.

“I can’t find anybody who would either send me those (experienced) people or tell me they’re out there,” he said. “Those candidates are not interested in going to places that Teach for America corps members go.”

Hilinski said he posted an opening for a Spanish bilingual teacher and didn’t get a nibble. Yet he knew there were 15 Teach for America candidates — including some in special education — who wanted to be at a school like his.

His job, he said, is to pick the best people for job openings. He hired a Teach for America member for a special education position and another for a bilingual Spanish classroom, he said.

“They’re not just looking for a job as a teacher, but a job teaching at Bret Harte in the Bayview,” he said. “The thing that they do bring is a commitment to this type of community.”

Typically, districts pay a fee for Teach for America teachers, in addition to salary and benefits, to help the organization pay for training, recruitment and coaching. San Francisco has had a contract with the organization to provide about 15 teachers for each of the past eight years.

The organization, anticipating a renewal of the contract this year, had 15 candidates waiting in the wings. When the board decided in May to not renew, Teach for America officials decided to waive the $2,500 fee per teacher.

The organization was unwilling to leave principals in the lurch, said Beatrice Viramontes, TFA’s senior managing director.

“They should be empowered to hire who they think are the best people for their schools,” she said. “From our perspective, that’s the need we’re responding to.”

The case for TFA

Hilinski agreed, saying, “When the parents come in angry (about a bad teacher or long-term substitute), they come to me. And when the kids come in angry, they come to me. I don’t feel like people in these decision-making entities really feel the pressure to put the best people in front of the kids.”

While board members have criticized Teach For America for the low retention rates of its teachers, district officials found that 91 percent of the organization’s teachers in San Francisco stay after their first year, compared with 56 percent of other new teachers, and that overall retention after six years is slightly lower than the district average.

Currently, 130 teachers, principals and other administrators in San Francisco are Teach For America alumni, including the head of human resources.

Board members said the district needs to focus on recruiting and retaining high-quality teachers with experience and full credentials rather than relying on two-year temporary teachers to work in hard-to-staff schools.

“We’re not going to put a Band-Aid on the problem,” Walton said. “You don’t put a Band-Aid on when you get a broken arm.”

A massive teacher shortage has schools everywhere scrambling for qualified candidates to cover classrooms this fall, especially in the areas of special education, math, science and bilingual education.

“I just think this is not the time to make a political statement,” said Ricky Mendoza, principal of Flynn Elementary, who hired three Teach For America teachers for the fall. “Right now, because of the teacher shortage, it’s basically a sellers’ market for teachers.”

Matthew Hartford, the principal at Lakeshore Elementary, hired one of the teachers. The recruit will teach special education and brings a certificate in autism. Finding someone like that in the middle of a teacher shortage is like striking gold, he said.

“It’s, hmm, what’s more precious than gold? Platinum?” Hartford asked. “To get candidates who have a passion to teach students with special needs is really tough.”

Principal unapologetic

Hartford, like Hilinski, is unapologetic about hiring the teachers despite the school board’s opposition.

“I do best by my kids and my families,” he said. “I’m not afraid to lead courageously because we’re well supported by our superintendent. These are unprecedented times.”

Superintendent Richard Carranza said in a written statement that principals can hire “whomever they believe is the best candidate for their schools,” as long as they have been cleared to teach by the district.

Board President Matt Haney, who opposed a new contract with TFA, said principals have the right to hire intern-credentialed teachers, who also happen to be affiliated with Teach for America. The district just won’t be putting a stamp of approval on the program or paying the fee.

“Our responsibility and challenge,” he said, “continues to be to build real pipelines to recruit and retain teachers that have adequate preparation and a track record of success in high-needs schools.”

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker