CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the new school year begins, hiring and keeping qualified teachers continues to be a problem here in Texas.
Now, a new survey suggests that many of our current teachers are considering leaving the profession altogether. The Texas State Teachers Association surveyed 688 teachers and found 70% are seriously considering quitting within the year. It's a problem that state leaders have already been trying to address.
Among the reasons cited for low morale among teachers: lingering stress from the pandemic, concerns over school safety, and a decreasing sense of support from parents. The teachers surveyed also mentioned inadequate pay, with four of every 10 teachers saying they've taken on extra jobs during the school year to help meet their families' financial needs. In addition, they noted the ever-rising cost of healthcare, saying that the state has not increased its share of educator insurance premiums in 20 years.
The Texas Teacher Vacancy Task Force contains 28 spots in total. Out of those spots, 26 of those are superintendents and human resource officers. Only two spots are filled with current classroom teachers.
Roland Hernandez, Corpus Christi Independent School District Superintendent, along with Brandon Chandler, Chief Human Resource Officer with Gregory-Portland ISD, were both selected to serve as representatives on the task force.
According to Hernandez, the task force has included more teachers in order to give a better insight into how to make the teaching field more appealing to current and potential educators.
"Teachers are included on this committee which included administrators. They have been a great addition to the overall process," Hernandez said. "And in the process the teachers with the administrators, may superintendents from all parts of the state and teachers from all grade levels and subject areas have had a chance to look at different areas of what we could look at that might make the teaching field more attractive."
Hernandez added that while CCISD is meeting the needs to fill vacancies, the issue of teacher staffing can be seen statewide.
"Our number has continued to go down on the vacancies each and every day," Hernandez said. what has been a issue more recently especially after the pandemic, is that recruiting teachers by all districts is year round."
Another concern raised had to do with what are perceived to be political attacks on educators from state lawmakers. The issues include the teaching of critical race theory and the removal of library books deemed by some to be inappropriate. The survey covered teachers from all grade levels and represented urban, suburban and rural school districts. On average, the teachers who responded had just over 16 years of classroom experience.
To read the full survey click here
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