A Kentucky House committee on Tuesday discussed potential ways to attract and retain more educators as lawmakers delved into the state’s teacher shortage, a long-developing problem that officials say will take time to overcome.
On the General’s Assembly’s first day back after a monthlong break, the House Education Committee spent two hours looking into the causes and possible solutions.
“There are no easy answers,” committee Chairman James Tipton said. “There are no quick answers. But it’s an issue that we must address, because I truly believe that every child in Kentucky deserves a quality teacher in the classroom to help prepare them to deal with the issues of life.”
Lawmakers will spend the coming weeks discussing what actions they might take during this year’s 30-day session, though bigger swings at the issue will likely wait until next year when they craft the state’s next two-year budget. This year’s legislative session ends in late March.
Kentucky Education Commissioner Jason Glass said teacher turnover has been growing, causing shortages in rural, suburban and urban districts. Some superintendents report feeling fortunate to draw one applicant for some positions, he said.
Shortages have spread to elementary education and social studies, which historically had an abundance of applicants, Glass said.
Resolving the problem will take a multi-year effort, he told lawmakers.
“If we work on increasing total compensation, support for our educators and respect for our educators, I believe we can begin turning the tide,” Glass said.
Republican Rep. Russell Webber responded that he’s heard teachers express other concerns, over issues such as student discipline and frustration that classroom problems are largely ignored.
“You all need to step back and take a deep dive and a deep look at the classrooms across the state of Kentucky and find out what the real issues are that teachers are confronting,” Webber told Glass.
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear is pushing for higher pay as a way to overcome the shortage, proposing a 5 percent raise for teachers and other public school employees.
The budget passed last year by the GOP-led legislature funded full-day kindergarten and poured money into teacher pensions and infrastructure. Lawmakers increased the state’s main funding formula for K-12 schools, though the amount was far short of what Beshear proposed. Their budget left it to school districts to decide whether to use additional state funding to raise school salaries. Most districts awarded pay raises, Republicans say.
During Tuesday’s committee hearing, a coalition formed by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators presented proposals to help overcome the teacher shortage.
It called for a sweeping study of public education in the state, and other requests included a review of teacher certification issues, a marketing campaign and financial incentives for students in teacher education programs.
Republican Rep. Steve Riley warned that the shortage is a “crisis that’s about to become a tsunami.” Many factors are in play, he added, including pay levels.
“It’s easy for people to say pay is not an issue when they’re not the one receiving the check,” Riley said. “Teachers and educators have families, and they want to provide for their families commensurate with the amount of education they have.”
He called for broad cooperation.
“This is not a Republican or Democrat issue,” Riley said. “This is an issue that is in the best interests of the students of Kentucky.”
(Photo courtesy of localtoday.news)
The Associated Press
