By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.
Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Collaboration
When the pandemic upended life as we know it and changed how we work, it also sparked notable shifts in rural America, a vital part of our overall economy For one, the population in rural counties grew by one-quarter percent after a decade of either no or slow growth, as more people moved from urban centers during COVID-19.
An estimated 46 million people, or roughly 14%, of the U.S. population currently live in rural areas.
It took until mid-2023 for the rural workforce to almost fully recover from pandemic job losses. There are now 20.2 million workers with a 3.8% unemployment rate, according to the latest estimates provided by economists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It's still below 2019 pre-pandemic levels of 20.4 million rural workers.
Currently, the top employment industries in rural America are government, agriculture, manufacturing, health care, retail, and hospitality.
Feeling the Brunt of the Great Recession
Employment in rural America actually began to slowly decline after the Great Recession, when it stood at 21 million. "Since the 2008 recession, there has been a massive divide between urban and rural areas on just about every front. If you dig into the data, it's because of the winners and losers of the tech and innovation economy," says Matt Dunne, founder and executive director of the Center on Rural Innovation.
He explains: "Urban places were able to benefit from tech innovation and the centers of that innovation and investment being in cities. Rural places not only did not see that kind of economic activity, the traditional rural industries - manufacturing, agriculture, extraction - saw automation eliminate jobs and also facilitate the transfer of those jobs to other markets in other parts of the world."
COVID-19 also exposed the stark digital divide as millions in rural areas were prevented from going to school or work online during shutdowns because of the lack of access to broadband.
The Center on Rural Innovation, founded by Dunne in 2017, is a nonprofit with a mission to build tech economies in rural places through tech startups and creating innovation-based jobs.
"Our North Star is associated with the fact that rural America represents about 12% of our nation's workforce, but only 5% of computer and math jobs. We believe if we are going to get back to just an equilibrium in terms of economic mobility and resilience in the face of further automation, we need to get that 5% up to 12%," adds Dunne.
To spur growth of tech hubs, the federal government is pumping billions into the national economy with the bipartisan 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to boost production of semiconductors in the U.S. which can benefit rural areas. The federal government also has ratcheted up efforts to provide high-speed reliable internet service for all.
Money is also being invested in infrastructure to create jobs with targeted projects for rural areas. Clean energy jobs, for example, make up 1% of the rural workforce amounting to 243,000 jobs in wind, solar and biofuels.
One of the latest investments in rural communities includes $5 billion dollars in spending to foster economic development with investments in everything from infrastructure to "climate-smart" agricultural practices for farmers. The goal is to create opportunities in rural America so people don't need to leave to find good-paying jobs.
Investing in the Worker Where They Live
Preparing the rural workforce for quality, family-sustaining jobs in their communities is one of the core priorities of the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment Training Administration, according to Manny Lamarre, senior policy advisor of workforce development at the DOL.
"We set our priorities in terms of key sectors, including advanced manufacturing, construction, health care, education, and IT. But we recognize that there's a variety of variances in local communities in terms of specific jobs."
Lamarre points to the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities (WORC) grants which specifically fund workforce training in Appalachian, Lower Mississippi Delta, and Northern Border regions and are created "in collaboration with community partners and aligned with existing economic and workforce development plans and strategies."
WORC grants are based on three criteria, he explains. "How are grantees addressing historic inequities? Are they creating career pathways or pathways into good jobs and economic mobility? That's the piece around the job training. That's the piece around convening industry and partners to create career pathway programs. And then third is high-quality employment outcomes for workers. That's the straightforward of now getting into that job."
Lamarre continues, "Since 2019, we've made five rounds of investments and we've awarded over 120 grants totaling over a $166 million dollars, and the grants range from about $150,000 to $1.5 million. They are being used for on-the-job training, sector strategies, apprenticeship opportunities, and also supportive services.
"There are existing high-quality jobs and we also know from the historic investments including the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Chips and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act for clean energy jobs that there are additional opportunities that are coming down the pipelines as well.
"We want rural communities to be ready to engage and positioned for those opportunities. It's all under the umbrella of ensuring that people can live and work in the communities that they are from and the communities that they represent, particularly for our rural residents," he tells me.
Demographic Challenges
That push to keep working-age people from leaving rural areas speaks to demographic challenges.
"A lot of people leave. They leave to go to college. There is a lifecycle to this thing," explains Mark White, clinical associate professor at the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
"They find work somewhere else because that's often where the work that fits them is available. Or there is a density of jobs there, so if one job doesn't work out they can go to another one as opposed to there's only one job there for them. Sometimes people move back (to rural areas) in their 30s - if they want to come back - to start families."
White also says there are fewer young people in rural America because Generation Z is smaller than the millennial generation. The population is also aging, with 20% aged 65 years or older, compared to 16% in metro areas.
With an aging population and younger people leaving, White agrees it heightens the urgency to invest in workforce training locally and also making young people aware of jobs that do exist.
"There are jobs in agriculture, construction, and health care everywhere. I think what a lot of communities need to think about is: how do we connect our young people to those jobs that are locally available? Some places have made investments in career technical education and they also recognize there's a need to connect employers and students at an earlier age," adds White.
As an example, White points to Missouri's investments in apprenticeships in 2019. The state now boasts that Apprenticeship Missouri ranks second in the nation for new apprenticeships and third in the country for completed apprenticeships that includes fields such as cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and health care.
The health care industry has needs across the board in rural areas around the country.
One long-standing program showing success in recruiting doctors is The Thomas Jefferson University Physician Shortage Area Program in Pennsylvania.
It recruits and trains medical schools from rural areas and small towns who want to practice in similar areas after completing a residency program. The program says it's trained more than 300 students in the program with a nearly 80% retention rate - graduates staying in or returning to rural or small town populations.
A growing number of community colleges in rural areas, such as Northland Pioneer College in Arizona, are offering bachelor's degrees after passage of a 2021 state law designed to better meet their workforce needs. Arizona is among roughly two dozen states now allowing community colleges to offer four-year degrees.
The Rural Innovation Network
The Center on Rural Innovation has established the Rural Innovation Network which counts 38 communities in 24 states aiming to develop tech economies and create jobs.
Dunne says the organization is conducting pilot programs in job training for roles that include web developers, cybersecurity, and data analytics. They are in early stages and too early to scale. He stresses, though, that one key thing he's doing is hearing from employers in rural areas about their demands, so skills training matches needs.
One big hurdle he says he faces is debunking myths he encounters that innovation can't be found in rural areas. He stresses that while federal investments are targeting manufacturing in rural areas, he does not want these same communities to be passed over when it comes to investing in research and development.
"It's in our national interests in terms of competitiveness that we are engaging all the competitive minds in terms of talent in our country, not just ones who happen to live in cities," stresses Dunne.
He adds: "I just think we're at a really interesting moment in our country. There's been an unprecedented amount of investment in what we think are the right things and now we just need to make sure that everyone remembers your zip code is not a determinant of your capacity or ability,"
Ramona Schindelheim wrote this article for WorkingNation.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Leaders of a teachers' union in Louisiana are voicing concerns about a package of bills they say would have the effect of dissolving labor unions in the state.
The list includes House Bill 571, which would prohibit public agencies from paying union workers for the time they do anything union-related, even if it's on paid leave.
If passed, said Roberto Furtado, a special-education teacher in the Jefferson Parish Public School System, the bills would end collective bargaining and prohibit payroll deductions for union dues. Furtado said all this would make it harder for new teachers to join the union, further silencing their voices.
"If they make it more difficult for the new teachers, young teachers, to get involved," he said, "then basically, it's a roadblock so they're probably more than likely going to just not do it."
House Bill 572 would prohibit public agencies from collective bargaining with unions, except for police and firefighters. Similar bills have been introduced in multiple states by conservative groups.
The teachers' union has posted petitions on its website for teachers to sign and send to their lawmakers.
Educators in Louisiana have said they're dealing with low pay, overcrowded classrooms and school safety issues. However, state lawmakers have advanced a budget proposal that would cut teacher pay, and the House Appropriations Committee forwarded a spending plan that reduces a $2,000 pay stipend teachers got this school year to $1,300 next year.
Furtado said the end result is forcing good teachers out of the profession.
"Teachers are an invaluable resource for our community, and so we need good, well-rounded educators that want to be there and continue their jobs to help these young men and women, because again, they are our future," he insisted. "That's kind of corny to say this, but yes, our children are our future. If you don't take care of them, where does our future lie?"
The legislative committee also allocated $25 million for a differential teacher compensation strategy for the second year in a row. The union opposed the strategy, because it said the raises wouldn't be permanent and could be taken away from year to year.
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By Lane Wendell Fischer for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration
Hiring and maintaining a qualified educator workforce is often a primary concern for rural schools across the country, requiring local education leaders to create innovative solutions.
The University of Wyoming’s College of Education has recently partnered with local community colleges across the state to repair a pipeline for future Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers at high schools and community colleges.
CTE programs offer students an array of skills-based learning opportunities for many high-demand industries ranging from construction, to nursing, to marketing.
For decades, Wyoming has relied on traditional methods to fill out its CTE teacher workforce. After completing a two-year associate’s degree at their community college, students could either enter the trades or take another two years of teacher training.
“It was very much a fork in the road,” said Rob Hill, a CTE consultant for the University of Wyoming and president of SkillsUSA Wyoming. Hill became a Wyoming CTE teacher through this traditional path.
“You had to take life off and go to school,” Hill said. “That limited a lot of people, especially students with families, jobs, and homes.”
As it turned out, most students never completed the final two years of teacher training and just entered the trades after the first two years at their community college, Hill said in an interview with the Daily Yonder.
This outdated pipeline has contributed to a shortage of both CTE teachers and skilled workers in the state.
According to a 2023 report from the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board, the median age of CTE teachers in Wyoming schools is 52, and national numbers are similar. Compare this to the average age of all teachers in the U.S., which is just over 42.
On average, a state employee in Wyoming retires at 62. This means that in the next 7 to 10 years, Wyoming could lose close to half of its CTE workforce to retirement.
“We’ve seen a number of things that have impacted us and that rural part is very real,” Hill said.
In rural communities, a CTE program might only consist of one or two teachers. When that school loses a teacher, the whole program is at risk until a qualified replacement is found.
During a recent tour of Wyoming’s school districts, Jenna Shim, PhD and interim dean of the College of Education, learned that some high school CTE programs are closing down because they couldn’t find replacements.
“One CTE teacher shared with me that he has a specialty in welding, but he has to teach culinary arts,” Shim told the Daily Yonder. “I could see welding and construction, but welding and culinary arts seem like a far stretch.”
And it can be difficult to attract new talent to small schools and communities.
“We tend to do best with people that are invested in that community previously and become teachers, as opposed to bringing in teachers into small communities,” Hill said.
The CTE Domino Effect in Rural Communities
Adding to the difficulty of attracting new teachers is a domino effect caused by current teacher shortages, Shim and Hill said.
A shortage of educators leads to a shortage of high school CTE programs, which leads to a shortage of students pursuing CTE in the state, followed by a shortage of tradespeople in the state, and a shortage of essential services, which, in turn, leads to less attractive communities.
On top of educational advancement for students, repairing CTE teacher pipelines through state and local partnerships helps assemble the next generation of rural water experts, plumbers, electricians, technicians, mechanics, and more, Hill said.
“It has a trickle-down effect into the stability of the community,” Shim said.
And in rural communities, small fluctuations in population, programs, and services can be especially catastrophic — or especially beneficial.
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal if you don’t have one teacher,” Hill said. “But that one teacher in a town of 2000 people that teaches welding, where you have a huge welding industry, that has an extremely large impact.”
The broken pipeline has also raised economic concerns. “Without a sufficient number of teachers, it’s hard to prepare a sufficient workforce,” Shim said.
Two key industries in Wyoming are energy and tourism. Both rely heavily on skilled workers. And both are susceptible to booms and busts that give local communities economic whiplash.
“Over the last decade especially, there’s been a real desire to diversify our workforce,” Hill said. “And that means a different generation of career and technical education, like manufacturing, cybersecurity, and data analysis.”
Repairing the Pipeline
The biggest problem in the previous CTE teacher pipeline was continuity, Hill said. The pathway to teacher certification in rural communities must be both attractive and achievable.
This spring, the College of Education piloted a new course that aims to do both by exposing community college students to CTE teaching before they complete their associate’s degree and decide between trades work or teaching.
“Creating a more seamless pathway is a real goal here,” Hill explained.
The bridge course will be offered each semester in partnership with all eight community colleges in the state and is inherently low stakes. The course credits can be applied toward an associate’s degree at the community college, toward their teaching degree at the university, or toward any other bachelor’s degree they pursue.
In the course, students get a taste of what a career in CTE teaching is like. Coordinated by Hill, the course is one dose online learning and one dose on-site learning. Hill leads the online classroom, where students learn about different national and statewide topics. “But students will learn about how it’s implemented locally,” Hill said.
Each community college has a community college professional and a school district professional that serve as a mentor and safety net for local students, introducing them to CTE leaders at both levels.
One area of misconception is how much CTE teachers are paid, Shim said.
“I think wages scare them most,” Hill said. “But in Wyoming, our hourly wage is higher than many of the trades folks. We have pensions. We have healthcare. It’s a lot more competitive than folks think it is.”
The organization of the course is a masterclass in rural ingenuity. By using technology, the course eliminates long distance travel to the university campus in Laramie on the southern border of the state. It allows students to remain in their local communities, while still being connected to the state’s CTE teacher network.
“We knew we had a statewide problem and we needed to create a statewide solution, or in this case, a local solution for a statewide problem,” Hill said. “This is about connecting people in Wyoming. Because we have these vast distances between us, we have to have a way to connect people.”
Twenty-two students are currently enrolled in the pilot course. Half of the inaugural cohort are community college students. The other half includes veterans, community college instructors, K-12 instructors, and paraprofessionals who are exploring their future career options.
The course has garnered support from state legislators, the university, the colleges, local high schools, local business, and from the students themselves.
Each of the enrolled students is taking the course tuition-free, thanks to scholarships from local businesses and private donors.
“Word is getting out,” Shim said. “I think that’s a testimony for how important this work is.”
Strong CTE programs lead to strong communities, Shim and Hill said. A lot of high school CTE programs are embedded into community culture. Organizations like FFA provide opportunities for social gathering and community service, for example.
“We’ve come up with a mutually beneficial solution and this takes a partnership and teamwork,” Hill said. “No significant advances take place without a group of us working together in a mutually beneficial system.”
Lane Wendell Fischer wrote this article for the Shasta Scout via The Daily Yonder.
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Texas Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has released 57 "interim charges," the topics he wants Senate committees to study in preparation for the 89th legislative session next year.
Four charges are for the committee overseeing public education. They include improving reading and math readiness in grade school, and redesigning the state's standardized tests.
Eli Melandrez, government relations associate for the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said educators are surprised the list does not include pay increases for teachers or controversial school vouchers, which use public money to pay for private schooling.
"It's interesting to see both of those key issues absent from the interim charges," Melandrez observed. "Across the state we've seen school closures; we've seen teachers being let go. We've seen a greater percentage of our teacher workforce as uncertified educators."
Two unsuccessful special sessions were held in the past few months, in an attempt to pass a school voucher proposal. Other charges for public schools include examining how school districts used COVID-19 funding, and monitoring the implementation of bills passed in the last session.
Patrick also directed the Higher Education Committee to analyze faculty senates, monitor bans on DEI policies at colleges and universities and revise policies for faculty tenure.
Melandrez noted their union is now affiliated with the American Association of University Professors and members are concerned the lieutenant governor is inserting his own political views into the education system.
"That's worrisome for us," Melandrez emphasized. "In public education and higher education, we are seeing a concerted effort to minimize educator voices."
Patrick also wants senators to review university antisemitism policies and protecting the First Amendment rights of faculty, staff and students. The next legislative session convenes Jan. 14, 2025.
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