Currently, there are more than 10,000 job openings to teach in Texas. The state has faced a teacher shortage for years, but it became worse during the two-year pandemic.

Educators say there are ways to reverse the trend - and one is to add more support for teachers' mental health. Former second-grade educator Shelbi Varnell said the workload and stress of having to manage multiple responsibilities at the height of the pandemic finally drove her to check herself into a hospital.

"It got to me in such a way that I felt so overwhelmed, and so just defeated that I was crying," said Varnell. "And my daughter came to comfort me and she said, 'You're not going to leave me, are you?' And I couldn't give her a straight answer, so I put myself into the hospital."

Varnell said she didn't feel supported by her district and, as a single mother, it was tough to teach virtually and make lesson plans at home while her own child was sick.

In March, Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Education Agency to create a Teacher Vacancy Task Force to work on the issues of attrition and retention, and how to better support educators.

Teachers say not only do they grapple with massive amounts of paperwork and face restrictions about what they can teach and say without risking their jobs, but low pay levels prompt many to juggle multiple jobs.

Coretta Mallet-Fontenot, who teaches 11th-grade English in the Houston Independent School District, said the switch from in-person to virtual learning made it harder to keep up with the curriculum and required testing - and also brought new challenges for her students.

"They too had to go to work when their parents contracted the COVID, and it became clear that COVID was striking elderly people, you know, harder than the younger folks," said Mallet-Fontenot. "Many of my students had to go work in order to help their families maintain."

The Teacher Vacancy Task Force will meet every other month for one year, and includes current classroom teachers and school administrators.

Mallet-Fontenot said she believes all professions start with good teachers. She said she's convinced that barriers can be removed, and said adequate pay is a way to show respect and value for the teaching profession.

"We don't want to just have a living wage," said Mallet-Fontenot. "We want to have a thriving wage. You know, there was a time in America where being a teacher was a very well-respected career."

Recent figures peg beginning teacher pay as low as $29,000, up to $41,000 a year. And research in 2020 found as many as four in ten teachers work second jobs.

Funding is coming to a program supporting students from low-income families in Washington state who want to go on to college or postsecondary education.

The GEAR UP program has received a 35 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education for the next seven years of operation. GEAR UP stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs.

Marcie Mills, GEAR UP director for the Washington Student Achievement Council, explained the rationale behind the program.

"When you come from a low-income family or a family that doesn't have that college going experience, navigating that process can be really difficult," Mills observed. "So, the desire is there, the interest is there, but they won't necessarily know or understand the steps that it takes to achieve that."

GEAR UP has been in operation since 1999. It supports students starting in seventh grade through their first year of postsecondary education. The program helps about 6,800 students each year, according to the Washington Student Achievement Council.

Eligible students can receive up to $800 in scholarships. Mills pointed out the program provides a range of services and her office has found which services have the greatest effect.

"We provide college visits, we include family members in that whenever possible, we provide a lot of workshops during the school day," Mills outlined. "We definitely provide financial aid information and counseling to students and families."

Mills noted GEAR UP is focusing on 13 rural school districts with funding to hire staff who work with students and families and the program will provide technical support.

"Our small rural districts really are so under resourced compared to the larger districts, who also have needs," Mills acknowledged. "But in comparison, quite often a rural school might not even have a full-time counselor."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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Texas educators spent the summer in meetings and workshops devising a playbook for the upcoming Texas legislative session.

The Educator's Bill of Rights contains 10 issues based on feedback from K-12 and higher education employees.

Alejandro Pena, government affairs specialist for the American Federation of Teachers-Texas, said they are taking their concerns directly to lawmakers.

"Playing defense is not enough because you might prevent bad things from happening," Pena observed. "But things will never get better if positive change is not realized."

The top five issues educators are concerned about include reasonable working conditions, fair wages, secure retirement, quality child care and a healthy, safe and secure working environment.

Security tops of mind following this week's mass shooting at a Georgia high school. In a survey of educators last year gun violence prevention was the top priority among 11 community and social justice issues.

Pena noted House Bill 3, which requires an armed security guard to be on every school campus in the state, is considered by many educators as an unfunded mandate.

"The legislature only provided $15,000 per campus and a measly additional 28 cents per student for school districts to comply with this requirement," Pena pointed out. "Whereas it's been found that the cost of hiring an armed security guard can be anywhere from $80,000 to $100,000."

Last year, the state of Texas had a $33 billion budget surplus but funding for public education did not increase. The next legislative session starts Jan. 14.

Latinos make up 40% of California's population and more than 56% of K-12 public school students.

However, Latino high school graduation rates are low, prompting a national effort to encourage parental involvement. The Parent Institute for Quality Education is a nonprofit focused on social justice and equity-based approaches, empowering families to advocate for their children's success in education.

Elizabeth Cabrera, vice president of program and impact for the organization, said forging a strong bond between parents and the school is key.

"Data show that if families are involved, the chances of students graduating from high school going off to college are greater," Cabrera reported. "It needs to be a priority and we need to create action plans around it to make it happen. And it's not a 'nice to have,' it's a must-have to really be able to support the student all around."

As of 2020, 66% of Latinos in California had a high school diploma, compared with 95% of white residents. High school graduation rates and enrollment in higher education among Latino students have improved in recent years.

Cabrera pointed out her group leads workshops for parents around the state.

"We directly work with districts and school leaders to have us come into their schools, work with their families, to train them and teach them about everything from what the education system looks like," Cabrera outlined. "What's at the state level, at the county level, at the local level, and what can you do to get involved and ask the right questions. Also, things like better understanding the different assessments."

The U.S. Department of Education has awarded the group a $5 million grant to establish a statewide Family Engagement Center.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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