As schools begin the year with an alarming number of vacancies, Gov. Tony Evers called a special legislative session last week to address, among other things, the teacher shortage.
Despite national trends, some Wisconsin colleges report that their education programs are growing. But graduates aren’t ending up in classrooms, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
Most recent DPI data show that 5,391 individuals graduated with teaching degrees in Wisconsin, but only 3,618 of those graduates became teachers in the state in 2021.
And even when teachers are in classrooms, turnover is high. A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum published this month found that nearly one in six (15.8%) teachers changed positions or left the profession between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. The average teacher turnover rate had been 11.5%.
The shortage is not unique to Wisconsin. Some states have partnered with online teacher credentialing companies, hoping to expedite the teacher certification process to get teachers in classrooms sooner. Such companies claim to credential teachers in about a year.
Other states have turned to teacher apprenticeship programs, which allow prospective teachers to be in a teacher preparation program while working in schools and earning a paycheck.
Special Legislative Session on Workforce Issues
While Gov. Evers hasn’t addressed either of these options, he has indicated that he hopes to invest over $16 million for “grow your own” educator programming, which includes funding for teachers to pursue higher education credits, licenses or certifications, as well as stipends for student teachers and current teachers who train them. His plan would also make the logistics of hiring retired public employees easier, including educators.
This announcement is part of a larger call to action to tackle statewide workforce issues, using the state’s budget surplus.
The special session convenes on Sep. 20 during which the Democratic governor hopes to address access to affordable child care; institute a paid family and medical leave program; invest in higher education; and strengthen key workforce sectors, education being one of them. But first, the Republican Legislature has to get on board.
WCRIS will be monitoring the special session to see what these proposed initiatives could mean for private K-12 education.
In the wake of historic shortages with increasing expectations, a central Wisconsin fourth grade teacher said, “I think being a teacher means much more than curriculum and content. It’s absolutely wearing five or six hats at a time and being OK with that.”
To our members and all teachers, administrators and staff, thank you for wearing all the hats!
