Teacher Shortage on the Ground
I recently read an article regarding improvements being made to a local office building. The management company touted the construction of a new roof top lounge and relaxation facility. The new amenity includes social spaces, gaming opportunities, community events, and complementary food and beverages. The addition expanded the already existing perks which included a gym, coffee bar, and shuttle service. The rationale for adding the roof top space was explicitly shared, “Workplaces of the future have to provide elements and experiences that will draw people out from the creature comforts of home.”
Working remotely, however, is a fantasy for the vast majority of teachers and administrators. Indeed, applying the management’s logic to a school, where working from home is not an option, would sound something like this, “Schools of the future have to provide elements and experiences that will draw people to the profession.”  Sounds enticing and, with some creative and progressive thinking, tenable. What would those elements be? Who pays for the experiences? Are they sustainable or temporary lures?
In the private sector where companies are struggling to get workers to the office, the field of education is in the midst of a supply challenge. What’s more, the shortage has no end in sight. As you think about the possibilities to get out of this conundrum, it is beneficial to reflect about how we got to this state. To that end, I have listed and commented on four factors that have contributed the current teacher shortage in my district and beyond.
- Salary/Cost of Living: For a profession that gets labeled “essential” and praised for the important work they do, you wouldn’t be able to conclude that by a teacher’s salary. Compared to other professions, teachers starting pay and ratio to the increased costs of living, it is no wonder why parents counsel their children to not go into education.
- Competition from Districts: If your state is organized into counties, this is less of an issue. But states like MA and PA where school systems are structured by each town and city, competition for teachers is cutthroat. District approaches covering large spaces mitigates but doesn’t eliminate this issues especially when a larger district is next to a smaller one.
- Perception of the Profession: Public opinion about educators runs the spectrum. But attacking and ridiculing teachers seems to be more frequent than ever. What’s more, it is a profession that, in general, is perceived as work that anyone can legitimately comment on because they had the experience themselves. Support for teachers as a distinct field that is unique, not easily accessible, and supported by administrators in the presence of parents is invaluable to the perception of the field. Without it, teaching is seen as a non-specialized field and teachers’ expertise dismissed.
- Lack of Perks: Yes, our society has to some extent offered retail and commercial discounts to educators. But I am talking about perks that exist at the workplace. Imagine the benefits if a school had a dry cleaner, child care service, and auto service at the school. This is a factor I have rarely, if ever, heard discussed as an incentive for attracting people to education. Rethinking the school of the future needs to include how it benefits the professionals who are there five or more days a week.
Looking backward can help with forward thinking solutions.  Indeed, doing so conjures up more questions for your organization to consider when partnering with schools. To stay with the language above, what elements and experiences do you provide for teachers? What can you provide, ethically and legally speaking? What conversations have you had with educators about this possibility? When you enter into this topic you will certainly be on the vanguard of education reform and part of the solution to the teacher shortage
Written by: Craig Perrier
Educational Thought Leader and Practitioner
Craig is the High School Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, VA. He also is an online adjunct professor of education for Framingham State University and the teacher certification program, Educate VA. Previously, he taught at American Schools in Brazil for six years and for six years in public schools in Massachusetts.
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