I have a little sister who is still in the K-12 system. As such, I have kept myself informed about the situation at her school district since COVID began.
Yesterday, I watched a public board meeting where teachers were crying and begging for a raise. As of this school year, there are 40 teacher vacancies throughout the district. As such, teachers are being forced to give up release time in order to cover for those vacancies….Because there are also no substitutes applying. This means that now more than ever, teachers are spending more personal time doing work stuff. All at the same pay rate, which mind you, hasn't seen an increase in over a decade. On top of this, the district's pressure to bring students back on track to meet standards is ever increasing. Teachers are getting burnt out and looking for employment elsewhere…
Yet, the district is reluctant to make any changes. They pass motions to put bandaids on sores but refuse to attack the problem at the root.
Here is an example: Substitute applications are being waived so more people are inclined to apply. At some point a sub could only work for a specific class for no more than 30 days per year. That was increased to 60, and now more recently to 120 days, making long-term positions more feasible. Being a long term sub (LTS) also means better pay. But there are no benefits to the job. Being a LTS means you have ALL the responsibility of a teacher — preparing lessons, carrying out assessments, filing out paperwork, IEPs if necessary, intervention forms… and you get all the same pressures : why aren't your students up to standards, why haven't you submitted this, haven't done that? All without any support if you need it, because everyone is being stretched thin. Here's the kicker… you catch COVID at school and you have to miss work, guess what? You ain't at work means you ain't getting paid. But since you are a LTS, you need to leave sub plans for the 5-6 different teachers who will be coming in to cover your class while you are gone. What?
This is a shit show.
Idk what's going to happen to the education system in our area. It's all collapsing. And the fix is so simple… Offer a livable wage and more people might decide that teaching is the career path for them. Teachers who have been in the school system for a decade might not be considering leaving.
Better pay= less turnover = more stability in the classroom = better quality education for students.
But what do I know, I'm not a fucking rocket scientist.