Is teacher turnover going to keep increasing over the next few years? Will there be enough college students graduating with education degrees to make up the difference?
The school administration and School Committee have downplayed those concerns. But after the stress and behavioral fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a contentious and protracted negotiation over a new contract, there seems to be a growing disconnect between teachers and administration in Nantucket’s public schools.
There are various ways to measure the problem schools are facing. The Professional Educator Licensing and Licensing Standards Board (PELSB) found in its 2023 report that between 80-90 percent of Minnesota districts were significantly impacted by teacher and substitute shortages. It also found that nearly a third of new educators are leaving teaching within the first five years of the profession.
The Grosse Pointe Public School System Board of Education's $103 million annual budget for the new school year included the elimination of 15 teaching positions, which comes in addition to 19 retirements and 34 resignations from members this year, including some who took jobs in other districts.
Students most in need of well-qualified teachers are also less likely to be enrolled in schools that provide quality teachers, the report found. And the number of under qualified teachers increases at schools with higher rates of students of color.
"They're looking for quantity and not quality," Houston Federation of Teachers President Jackie Anderson told KHOU regarding Houston ISD's suggestion to hire uncertified teachers to fill vacancies.
"I actually use my vacation time now," Superintendent Diane Kelly confides. "I make sure I'm present for the milestone events in the lives of my family and friends—things I used to miss for evening meetings in the district."
Michelle Williams, an HISD teacher with the Houston Education Association, a teacher's advocacy group, said she would rather see the district put out a call for retired teachers and have Miles's staff step in.
For school leaders who are visual learners, this newly released and highly detailed interactive map reveals key trends about the strength of the teacher workforce and the severity of ongoing shortages.
