Staff Shortages Effect Goddard School District
Written by: Arlo Hoover Illustration by: Jazzmin Bernal
Since the beginning of COVID three years ago, the amount of teachers who have quit is overwhelming. Since many people are discouraged from teaching, the number of educators who are necessary to influence the next generation decreases. While new students are still applying to schools, educators need to be there to lighten the load on each other.
This is a noticeable problem in the Goddard District. We have nowhere near enough staff or bus drivers to fulfill the needs of the growing student body. Bathrooms are closed and bus routes are combined because there are just simply not enough people. Some bus routes have been reported as almost two hours long due to the sheer number of kids packed into one bus.
When asked about this issue, Mr. Rink, assistant principal, said, “Many people don’t realize the impact they can make by being an educator. People are discouraged from teaching because of past experiences and the amount of pay.” Agreeing with him, Mr. Manning, assistant principal, said, “Teachers are not as valued as they used to be a few years ago. Many are leaving to seek a less pressure and stress filled job, where they will earn more money”
The problem mainly stems from the pay teachers receive. According to NPR, the cost for a teaching degree has nearly doubled while teacher salaries have remained stagnant. People looking for what they want to do in life closely analyze the money involved with teaching, and it discourages them because they want to earn a livable wage. Mr. Manning mentioned, “For the same degree you can easily make a lot more, and not have the baggage that teachers deal with.”
Another reason people are not wanting to teach is that educators are no longer happy with their position. A paper written by Matthew A. Craft, and published by Brown University, “The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession” says that, “Teachers job satisfaction is at the lowest level in five decades” suggesting that many of the teachers who are quitting do it because they are no longer happy with their profession. The National Education Association (NEA) states that 55% of teachers are thinking of leaving the profession early. A shocking 90% (NEA) of teachers say they are experiencing a burnout. These workers are also, “Not valued socially anywhere near what they used to be.” according to Mr. Manning, making the career perceived to be less needed and important.
However, Eisenhower staff are still working hard to fill the spaces needed, hosting recruiting fairs, posting on social media, hiring long term subs, and some staff have even been volunteering to drive buses to drop kids off at home. These acts seem to be giving staff some hope for this crisis to end, and we have welcomed multiple new teachers this year who have already positively benefited our school life.
