>>> WE’RE BACK ON OUR SERIES LOOKING AT TEACHER SHORTAGES
ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.
IF CLASS SIZES ARE TOO LARGE OR
THERE AREN’T ENOUGH TEACHERS, IT
DOES AFFECT HOW KIDS LEARN.
>> AND RECENTLY YOU LOOKED INTO
THIS.
THIS. >> IS THIS A GROWINGTHIS IS A GR
ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN DENVER
FOR EXAMPLE THE TEACHERS UNION
THERE IS PREPARED TO STRIKE THIS
MONDAY AND A STRIKE GIST
RECENTLY ENDED IN LOS ANGELES.
SO THE DEBATE IS USUALLY OVER
MONEY, BUT IT IS A LOT MORE THAN
THAT.
THAT. SO WHAT WILL IT TAKEENDED IN LOS
SO THE DEBATE IS USUALLY OVER
MONEY, BUT IT IS A LOT MORE THAN
THAT.
THAT. SO WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET MORE
TEACHERS IN TO OUR CLASSROOMS?
FROM CITIES TO SMALL TOWNS
ACROSS AMERICA, TEACHERS ARE
FEELING THE STRAIN.
SALARIES, LARGE CLASSROOM SIZES,
LACK OF SUPPORT AND SHORTAGES
ARE SOME OF THE BIG ISSUES
CAUSING FRUSTRATION.
CAUSING FRUSTRATION. >> SOME OF US HAVE MASTER’S
DEGREES, SOME OF US HAVE PH.D.s.
SO TEACHERS PERHAPS ARE NOT
FINANCIALLY COMPENSATED.
FINANCIALLY COMPENSATED. >> Reporter: ERIN AND CARLY AND
KATIE ARE JUST A HANDFUL OF THE
MORE THAN 3 MILLION U.S. HE HAD
INDICATORS WHO WELCOME STUDENTS
IN TO THEIR CLASSROOMS EVERY
MORNING.
MORNING. >> I THINK SOMETIMES PEOPLE
THINK TEACHERS JUST COME IN,
THEIR KIDS JUST SIT DOWN AND YOU
GIVE THEM IN BOOKS AND THEN THEY
GO HOME.
GO HOME. IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT,
ISN’T IS ITT.
>> SO MUCH.
NOT ONLY ARE YOU LESSON
PLANNING, YOU CAN KEEPING
ENGAGING.
ENGAGING. AND YOU’RE ALSO TRYING TO TEACH
THEM TO BE GOOD FRIENDS AND GOOD
HUMANS.
HUMANS. >> Reporter: BY 2023, THERE WILL
BE MORE THAN 52 MILLION STUDENTS
ENROLLED IN U.S. PUBLIC K
THROUGH 12, AND NOT ENOUGH
TEACHERS TO TEACH THEM.
THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE OF
STUDENTS IN THE COUNTRY IN
CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS LIKE THIS.
>> WOULD WE’RE SEEWHERE WE’RE
SEEING THE MOST DRAMATIC NEEDS
IS PROBABLY CALIFORNIA.
THE SOUTHWEST, WE HAVE SHORT
THINK AS IN SPECIAL ED, MATH,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY TEACHERS.
>> Reporter: THE PRESIDENT OF
THE NATIONAL EDUCATION
ASSOCIATION REPRESENTING
ASSOCIATION REPRESENTING TEACHERS, THE LARGEST LABOR
UNION IN THE COUNTRY.
>> WE KNOW WHAT WORKS.
WALK INTO THE BEST PUBLIC
SCHOOLS IN YOUR STATE.
TAKE A LOOK AT THE SUPPORT THEY
GIVE TO THOSE TEACHERS.
THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT EVERY
SCHOOL NEEDS AND WHAT EVERY
STUDENT DESERVES.
STUDENT DESERVES. >> Reporter: OF THE 20 SCHOOL
DISTRICTS HERE IN VENTURA
COUNTY, MORE THAN HALF REPORTED
TEACHER SHORTAGES WITH NEARLY
TWO-THIRDS UNABLE TO FILL
POSITIONS WITH TEACHERS THAT ARE
FULLY CREDENTIALED.
FULLY CREDENTIALED. >> A LOT OF PEOPLE NOW HAVE BEEN
LOOKING AT THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA AND LOOKING WITH TEAC
WAS IT SALARY?
>> THEY ARE THE SCHOOL NURSE,
THE COUNSELOR, THE THERAPIST,
THE CONFIDANT FOR THE STUDENTS.
>> IS THE COUNT I DOING ENOUGH?
>> THE THINGS WE’RE LOOKING
FORWARD TO IS STUDENT LOAN
FORGIVENESS.
FORGIVENESS. WE ARE OFFERING PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT.
DEVELOPMENT. SO WE REALIZE THAT THERE ARE
THINGS THAT WE CAN DO AND SO WE
ARE WORKING WITH OUR DISTRICTS.
>> Reporter: SO WHAT KEEPS THESE
TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOM?
>> I WOULD SAY FEELING THE
SUPPORT, THAT HAS BEEN A HUGE
PIECE FOR ME.
>> YOU MENTION SUPPORT MORE THAN
THE OTHER ISSUES.
WE ARE UNDERESTIMATING THAT PART
OF IT?
OF IT? >> I THINK YOU GO INTO TEACHING
FOR THE TEACHING, NOT FOR THE
INCOME.
INCOME. >> YOU DO IT BECAUSE IT IS YOUR
PASSION.
PASSION. THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMETHING
ELSE I CAN DO OR THERE WILL
ALWAYS BE SOMETHING MORE I CAN
BE DOING.
BE DOING. I HAVE IT ON MY HEART ALL THE
TIME.
TIME. AND IF YOU DON’T LOVE IT, YOU’RE
NOT GOING TO WANT TO FEEL THAT
WAY ALL THE TIME.
>> SO HERE IS THE CHALLENGE WHEN
IT COMES TO TEACHER SHORTAGES.
YOU CAN RECRUIT PROFESSIONALS TO
GO INTO THESE CLASSROOMS.
BUT IF THEY AREN’T TRAINED FOR
THE OTHER PARTS OF TEACHING,
THEY OFTEN QUIT.
SO BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY HAVE
THIS PROGRAM WHERE THEY TRY TO
SUPPORT THOSE TEACHERS AND OTHER
FIRST YEAR TEACHERS.
AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING.
I THINK THEY HAVE LIKE A 96%
RETENTION RATE.
RETENTION RATE. AND ALSO PEOPLE LOOK AT
SALARIES, LET’S SAY WE HAVE THE
SAME DEGREE AND WE BOTH GO INTO
ON YOU PROFESSIONS.
I MAKE 60 CENTS TO YOUR DOLLAR
AS A TEACHER AND WE’RE AT THE
BOTTOM OF THE LIST WHEN YOU LOOK
AT OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS.
SO A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE, BUT
PEOPLE ARE FINALLY STARTING TO
SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
>> INTERESTING THE SUPPORT THEY
NEED MORE THAN THE MONEY.
IT IS THE PASSION TO HELP THESE
KIDS.
KIDS. >> YOU’VE GOT A KID ON THE WAY
TO SCHOOL SOON, YOU HAVE KIDS IN
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. WE JUST PUT OUR KINDERGARTEN IN.
AND WHEN YOU WALK INTO AN
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND YOU SEE
THE TEACHERS WHO COMMIT ALL THIS
TIME AND EFFORT EACH DAY, IT IS
SIMPLY PUTTING VALUE ON THAT
EVEN IF IT IS NOT MONEY, BUT
JUST EXPRESSING AS A COMMUNITY
THE APPRECIATION FOR WHAT THEY
ARE DOING FOR YOUR KIDS.
IT REALLY CAN MAKE A BIG
DIFFERENCE THAT WE ALL ENERGIZE
THAT.
THAT. PARENTS GET INVOLVED IN
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. >> THAT IS A GOOD POINT.
AND YOU THINK ABOUT THE SUPPLIES
THAT THEY BUY ON THEIR OWN.
ONE TEACHER I TALKED TO, SHE IS
A FIRST YEAR TEACHER, SHE
STARTED THIS THING I THINK IT IS
AMAZON, SECHDHE SAID HERE IS WHA
NEED, THE DISTRICT MAYBE CAN’T
AFFORD IT, SO THE PARENTS COME
IN WITH CRAYONS OR KLEENEXS OR