So this year more than ever,
districts across Oregon,
Washington, and frankly,
the rest of the country are
struggling to fill positions.
It's a problem across the board,
from teachers to office staff,
everyone and their
frustration is spilling over.
We just got this video into our newsroom.
These are teachers demonstrating today
outside of George Middle School and
Roosevelt High School in Portland,
trying to bring attention
to how these issues are.
Impacting students.
When we don't have staff to
support us and we don't have
staff in the building like Friday,
we had 15 teachers out then what
happens is it's hard to manage all of
the things that are happening with
the kids and all of their needs.
Now obviously
the pandemic plays a role here,
but it's not the only reason for
the staffing shortage and frankly,
the teacher burnout.
Christine Padawan itch looks
at how it got this bad.
Staffing shortages at school
districts all over are putting a
strain on teachers and forcing
districts to pay up big time in
hiring incentives for those of us
outside of the education world.
Those new incentives may make it
seem like the situation came out
of the blue this school year,
but those working in education
tell me the issue has been
building for some time. Well,
I'll just say this teachers are feeling
fragile. Teachers are feeling exhausted.
We've already. Have lost over 3000
substitute teachers since the pandemic began
and now here we are.
Faced with those needs being even
greater than before and we have an
incredible staffing shortage and that
staffing shortage is not allowing
us to be able to put in place.
The staffing needs that our students need.
So how did we get here?
We've heard many times that the
pandemic exacerbated the staffing
shortage, but we're learning.
It's a result of more than the pandemic.
I'm doctor Anthony Rossi listen,
the current executive director
of the teacher scanners practices
here Commission here in Oregon.
We are responsible TSBC for
the standards for licensing.
Of all the K12 educators in the state.
Rosales says there are
multiple factors to consider.
About five years ago.
You started noticing a decline in
teachers entering the profession,
stress of the word school violence,
you know, had just increased
academic rigor that we expect,
which is good for our students.
Then on top of that,
you add concerns about health.
All those factors making some
people question if teaching
is the right choice for them.
Rosales says 40 to 50% of teachers
leave the profession in three to
five years and diverse educators.
At an even greater rate,
teachers deserve higher compensation
for the work that they do every single
day in and out of the classrooms.
Nicole Butler, hooten Oregon's
2021 teacher of the Year,
says these days student needs and
expectations of teachers are great.
I think the problem of practice becomes,
well, how do we do this job and do it
well so teachers hours are eight to four,
but I I have never in a day in my life,
been done at 4:00 o'clock.
Butler Hooten believes pay may be a big
component of the staffing shortage. Well,
if I had to pinpoint like one,
I think it would be financial
incentives or compensation accurate
compensation for the work that we do.
I I still struggle with the compensation
that I have received over 16 years of
teaching and what that looks like into
the relation in relationship to the
work and what I do on a daily basis.
And she says that's especially true
now with teachers doing more than
they were expected to do years ago,
because now we do hold a lot of social
work in that Ave and we we always have
right counselor and problem solver.
Antique medium the needs of all students,
but I feel like more so
probably in the last five years,
Rosie Les says that also holds
true with substitute teachers.
Any of our districts haven't looked at.
Substitute teacher pay for many years.
Add to that geographical factors.
Some areas in the state just have more
access to substitutes than others.
Then there's the aging workforce.
Some teachers retired early
because of the pandemic.
Reads got schwabach with the
Oregon Education Association
says what happened more than.
A decade ago also didn't help,
so we lost a whole generation of folks
when we were defending schools and not
supporting the folks who were already
there in that that 2008, 2010 period,
they all found jobs in their sectors
and they let their license lapse
the past playing a role in the present,
a time that's becoming increasingly
difficult for some educators to
consider their jobs worth it,
despite their love for it.
There's never been a harder
time to become a teacher.
But I can tell you also,
there's never been a more impactful
and important time to become a teacher.
OK, KGW Christine panel
wanted just joining us now.
So Christine you talked about,
you know the build up to the
situation that we're in now,
but I mean districts have had staffing
shortages before right? Yeah,
Maggie. So it's not just teachers
and substitute teachers that we're
talking about here in years past
there have been shortages in,
say, transportation,
so we're talking bus drivers.
But I'm also told that there are
persistent areas of shortages involving,
say, special Ed Teachers,
school counselors, social workers,
school psychologists,
that sort of thing.
So this whole staffing shortage
it definitely isn't something
that just happened overnight.
Yeah definitely. So have you been able
to get any sort of impression of what
the fix to this problem might be? Yeah,
that's the $1,000,000 question, right?
Because ultimately if this staffing
shortage issue does not get fixed,
there will be a trickle down.
Students will inevitably suffer,
as will entire education systems,
but coming up tomorrow here on the story,
we're going to be looking
at some potential long term.
Fixes and maybe some short term ones as
well that will hopefully help. Alright
Christine Pedal wanted.
Thank you so much for the coverage.