ST. PAUL — A budget gap at the Minnesota Board of Teaching is slowing down efforts to improve the state’s educator licensing system.

And that has implications for solving Minnesota’s statewide teacher shortage.

Eric Doan, the teaching board’s executive director, said in a press release that a $16,000 budget gap has staff members taking a day off each week without pay. Board members also will meet online in June to save money.

According to a press release, the money problems mean delay in streamlining the licensing system for teachers trained out-of-state or in alternative ways.

The Legislature had hoped to see those changes finished by January, but it’s now unlikely before summer.