Back To School: Teacher shortage affecting schools nationwide
MIAMI - The new school year is upon us and many schools are still on the hunt for teachers. The teacher shortage made headlines during the pandemic and continues to be a persistent problem in many parts of the country.
Florida has more than 5,000 unfilled teaching positions. The state ranks 48th in pay, with teachers there making an average of $51,000 a year, according to the National Education Association.
"The health of the teaching profession is at or near its lowest points in the past 50 years," says Melissa Arnold Lyon, co-author of a report on the state of the teaching profession. She says money is a big reason why.
A study last year from the National Center for Education Statistics found average teacher salaries have actually dropped almost eight percent since 2010 when adjusted for inflation.
Stockton Unified School District in California is holding employment fairs, trying to attract new teachers with signing bonuses of up to $10,000 and six figure salaries.
"Having very competitive benefits package, having competitive salary base, having competitive signing bonuses, they are just unheard of as far as the amounts of money that we are offering," says Sherry Jackson, Director of Recruiting.
Making matters worse, Lyon says teachers feel overworked and underappreciated.
"Many more teachers are saying that if they could do it all again, they would not become teachers," says Lyon. "Many more teachers are saying that the stress of the job is not worth it."
Not only are teachers leaving the profession, but many young people don't want to join it.
A non-profit in Philadelphia is trying to change that, with a breakthrough program that allows college students to become teaching fellows.
"I love that I kind of get to have the opportunity to speak to students that may never of had a black male teacher in the classroom," says teaching fellow Shamar Long. So far 450 fellows have completed the program, and three out of four have become educators.
