Utah Schools Desperate for Teachers

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) Some school districts in Utah are so desperate for teachers this Fall, they're offering jobs to college students yet to even finish their student teaching. State Association Superintendent Ray Timothy says the problem is not supply, but retention. About one-third of Utah's teachers leave in the first three years of teaching and fifty percent leave in the first five years.

The top reasons teachers say they leave the state - and often the profession entirely - are feelings of isolation and lack of administrative support. Pay also plays a factor. State education officials are hoping the legislature will fund mentoring and training opportunities, as well as incentive programs, to improve teacher retention before Utah's child population far outpaces the supply of qualified instructors.

Timothy will discuss the details of Utah's teacher shortage during the Legislature's Interim Education Committee Wednesday afternoon.

1. Steve said:

And yet my mother with years of teaching experience and a MS has yet to get a teaching contract for next year. Wait...maybe that is because she is in the St. George area where principals cannot afford to hire teachers with additional credentials.

2. Christie said:

Funny, I can't find one job posting in the state in Social Science, only Math, etc.

3. Jose said:

I am Hispanic, have a Master's Degree in Education, and speak Spanish.....they won't even look at me becuase I do not teach math or science.........gotta love Utah

4. Shawna said:

I taught for three years but could not support my five children on a first year teacher's salary. What a shame that Utah does not value its children enough to pay their teachers a living wage.

I could say a lot more but I don't want to get started.

5. Aly said:

I would teach there if they would pay for my relocation expenses. Does anyone know any states that pay relocation expenses? That is a standard recruitment expense in other professional industries but school districts refuse to do it.

6. April Thornburg said:

I am a graduate of SUU and have struggled to get a teaching position in southern Utah. Fact- Society does not value education. We say it's a priority but it's not! So we need to quit convincing ourselves that education is a priority in this country. The children will suffer and the next generation will pay the consequences.