暗黑爆料 brief:
Officials across the Mountain West are looking for ways to recruit and retain more teachers in local schools. While salary changes are a large part of discussions, low pay isn鈥檛 the only thing contributing to this critical labor shortage.
Teachers have reported high rates of and since the pandemic. More than half of educators say they鈥檙e ready to quit the profession earlier than they had expected, . That鈥檚 a troubling trend for an industry that鈥檚 already short and staff members.
Other concerns teachers have include , and an .
Kevin Vick of the Colorado Education Association said in a recent legislative hearing that bureaucratic hiccups also contribute to the shortage.
鈥淔or educators moving to the state of Colorado, pursuing a Colorado teaching license has proven to be a significant burden, and in some cases, a barrier,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 why some state lawmakers are pursuing that would make it easier for out-of-state teachers to get licensed in Colorado. Eighty-five percent of Colorado educators say the current teacher shortage in classrooms is 鈥渟ignificantly or somewhat worse than previous school years,鈥� .
鈥淩especting our educators as professional experts means centering our voices and expertise in legislation that affects our work,鈥� Vick said.
In and Nevada, state officials have created task forces to focus on teacher recruitment and retention. Some include increasing general education funding, expanding training and mentorship programs and granting student loan forgiveness. Governors in Idaho and have supported increasing starting teacher pay. In , lawmakers want to create tax breaks for those who buy their own school supplies.
, the White House is partnering with job websites like ZipRecruiter to try and expand hiring in K-12 schools. Federal officials are also advocating for higher wages and apprenticeship programs.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, the O'Connor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, KUNC in Colorado, KUNM in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau is provided in part by the .
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