Indiana is beginning to pay attention to the teacher shortage. Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz even set up a blue ribbon committee to address the issue.
The Indiana Blue Ribbon Commission on the Recruitment and Retention of Excellent Educators focused on retention at its first meeting, and the numbers are compelling.
Data from the Indiana Department of Education show about 19 percent of Hoosier teachers leave their jobs every year. First-year teachers in high-poverty schools were most likely to quit, with 29 percent leaving their school district by the end of the academic year. That high number includes teachers who found jobs elsewhere.
Several region schools had significantly lower retention rates from 2012-13 to 2013-14, including: Lincoln Achievement Center, Gary, 51 percent; Lighthouse Charter School, East Chicago, 45 percent; Block Middle School, East Chicago, 42 percent; and New Tech Innovative Institute, Gary, 39 percent.
We've been hearing about the enrollment being sharply lower in Indiana colleges' teacher training programs, but the numbers on teachers leaving the profession shed additional light on the problem.
The causes are easy enough to figure out — low pay, compared to neighboring states, and political hassles.
Reggie Tisdale, a 24-year teacher at School City of East Chicago, said it's getting harder to convince students to borrow $100,000 for a college education when the average annual starting salary in Indiana is under $35,000 and pay raises, when available, are determined by student test scores.
Deb Porter, a Valparaiso music teacher with political aspirations, expressed similar sentiments. The effect of high turnover on student achievement can be significant because teachers inevitably make a number of mistakes early in their careers, she said.
Addressing this issue by raising salaries would encourage more teachers to enter the profession and stay longer, but that comes at a high cost. Where would all that extra money come from? Taxpayers understand the answer to that one.
Keeping politics out of the classroom would help, too. Teachers have gone through political whiplash as politicians have changed state standards and standardized tests repeatedly in Indiana, with no sign of stopping.
College graduates need reasons to stay in Indiana. But school districts need not limit themselves to Indiana. Look for teachers in other states, too.
All these steps would help school districts fill open positions, even in subject areas where there is a shortage of applicants.
Until those are addressed, don’t expect the teacher shortage to go away.