“We have more teachers leaving the profession than wanting to become a teacher, especially in special education”

By: Katherine Grass  
K-12 educator, Lansing, MI

I am a first-grade teacher and have seen a huge change in the profession over the last 20 years. When I applied to work, I was one of hundreds of candidates for a few positions. Now we have two-three candidates for the same positions, and many aren’t even certified teachers. We have more teachers leaving the profession than wanting to become a teacher, especially in special education. We have a resource classroom for students with intense behaviors that we cannot consistently staff. Our students in that room have had at least one new teacher every year for the last four years – sometimes multiple teachers a year. Many initiatives have been implemented to get new teachers but retaining veteran teachers has been ignored. We have lost so many teachers to the county-wide Intermediate School District (ISD) due to grant funding from the state.    

They now have less stressful, better paying jobs and the teacher shortage grows with no one to replace them in the classroom. If veteran teachers are leaving before these new teachers can finish their training, we are not actually addressing the problem now. Many districts have increased the bottom of the pay scale to attract new teachers but never caught up their veterans (who could even be making less money than the young teachers they mentor!) My district hires new experienced teachers at higher steps than those that have worked actual years in the district. They are matching salaries for everyone except their own employees who were frozen on steps for years and are now way underpaid on the current scale.  By hiring new employees at higher rates than you currently pay, districts are encouraging teachers to shop around. Everyone loses out when veteran teachers leave or jump districts. Starting new curriculums, grade or subjects require training, money and time. We are starting over with new people, rather than simply valuing veterans appropriately. Teacher retention needs to be the focus to build consistency and leadership within our schools. We have spent enough time on attracting and rewarding new teachers and employees – let’s honor and appreciate those that have been loyal and stuck with the districts during the hard times. Stop giving money to the ISDs for new positions that pull teachers out of the classroom – use that money to retain those working with kids every day. Earmark money for retaining teachers/staff in the classroom – we don’t need any more coaches or bodies in central office. We need to support those that are working with students in the classroom.