The shortage of teachers and school staffers has reached crisis level in some Pennsylvania public schools, and is among the chief concerns of the new teachers' union leader.

Aaron Chapin, president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association and a 4th and 5th grade teacher at Stroudsburg Middle School, noted in the past 10 years, there's been a 73% drop in applicants seeking first-year teaching certificates in the Commonwealth.

Chapin pointed out Pennsylvania is already working to award scholarships and recruit future educators through a new community-based initiative.

"We also just instituted a new program and introduced it into Pennsylvania, called 'Educators Rising,'" Chapin explained. "It's an opportunity for kids in high school to have those opportunities, to see if education is the path that they want to take in their adult lives."

Pennsylvania serves more than 1.7 million students in grades K-12. This month, the state's Department of Education has launched a new online portal with resources and information for people interested in becoming educators.

Chapin noted one major issue is teachers and other support staff do not feel they're making competitive wages. The union is backing a bill to substantially increase salaries.

"There's some legislation right now, and we're supporting it, that the minimum salary for educators be $60,000 a year, and that our support professionals get $20 minimum an hour for working in the schools," Chapin outlined. "And we really believe that this will open the doors for some coming into education that may not have already been considering it."

Chapin emphasized teachers have valuable insight into their students' lives and challenges. He added it is important for educators to voice those concerns to lawmakers.

"They're the ones that understand just about the mental health concerns that our students are having," Chapin stressed. "They understand that we have many students that have those food insecurities, or that they're homeless, and we need our members to be able to share those stories with legislators so that we can come up with some solutions."

Chapin is touring the state with union Vice President Jeff Ney and Treasurer Rachael West to hear teachers' and staff concerns. In his words, there are "excellent solutions" to some of the issues facing Pennsylvania schools. He contended the future of public education in the state is promising if educators and lawmakers can work together on key issues.

The start of a new year of school in Minnesota has a new twist: intense focus from national media and voters across the U.S.

With Gov. Tim Walz running for vice president, many are trying to measure his impact from the classroom to policy decisions. On the campaign trail, Gov. Walz has talked about his career as a public schoolteacher. On the governing side, his push to help adopt free school meals for all students has drawn attention.

Bob Ihrig, a retired social studies teacher from Mankato, is among some of Walz' former colleagues from Mankato West High School speaking out. He said Walz exceeded their expectations when they hired him.

"He's just an outstanding role model for any future teacher," Ihrig contended. "There's a lot of hope and inspiration with Tim Walz."

Ihrig suggested it could help make the profession appealing to younger generations amid teacher shortages. In politics, Walz maintains strong support from unions, including the American Federation of Teachers, for actions like a taking a hard stance against private school vouchers. His opponents argued he kept schools closed for too long during the pandemic, subsequently hurting student test scores.

Walz' supporters countered he took proper steps to keep everyone safe and his administration is committed to reducing learning gaps.

Aaron Miller, a current social studies teacher at Mankato West High School, said student performance is a complex issue, along with education funding. Under Walz, public schools have received a big boost but many districts still have tight budgets. Miller pointed out it could be a lot worse.

"That money that was thrown out really just kind of helped us kind of catch up a little bit," Miller explained. "Public school funding is a hornet's nest of people demanding certain things. And there are a lot of things to consider when you're going into it; property taxes."

Miller feels the perception of public schools is too steeped in "culture war" issues often pushed by conservative groups. While he does not agree with every policy move Walz has made, Miller stressed a renewed focus on the mission aligned with being a teacher should stay in the limelight much longer.

"We need our administrations, we need our state Department of Education, to do some things to help re-instill that sense of support and respect," Miller emphasized.

Classroom supplies are taking a toll on teachers in North Carolina.

A new survey showed despite earning around 5% less than they did a decade ago, North Carolina teachers are spending the fourth-highest amount in the country on school supplies.

Tamika Walker Kelly, president of the North Carolina Association of Educators, said teachers are dipping into their own pockets due to insufficient state funding for instructional materials.

"Educators in North Carolina are spending about $1,300 of their own money, $400 more than the national average," Walker Kelly pointed out. "We continue to see that rise amongst our educators here in the state. "

She noted the association is urging state legislators to invest in school supplies and reinstate the state's Tax Holiday to help teachers and parents save money. There have also been calls from Attorney General and Democratic nominee for governor Josh Stein to introduce a plan to reduce back-to-school costs.

Walker Kelly emphasized the rising expenses are coupled with low teacher salaries. North Carolina, currently ranked 38th in average teacher pay, is projected to drop to 41st by the 2024-25 school year, according to the National Education Association.

She contended financial pressures have led to staffing shortages, which ultimately affect students' learning experiences.

"We know that our state Legislature could make that investment," Walker Kelly asserted. "That's why we are continuing to advocate for that because we see record numbers of educators flee to South Carolina and to Virginia and to Georgia because of that $10,000 pay difference."

She also highlighted the issue of salary stagnation for veteran educators with 15 or more years of experience. The top salary on North Carolina's teacher pay scale is just over $61,000, which teachers reach after 25 years. Between years 15 and 24, there is no growth in pay, leaving veteran teachers without raises for nearly a decade.

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.


get more stories like this via email