Teacher exodus costing Utah taxpayers a bundle

Published: Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005 7:39 p.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
Did we really need a 156-page report to tell us we will be facing a teacher shortage? Besides, who cares? At least the legislative committee that was briefed on the study didn't seem too concerned.

The "Utah Educator Supply and Demand Study," commissioned by the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) and the State Board of Regents, was to determine what to do about meeting the demand for more teachers needed to educate the 49 percent student growth over the next 20 years. The study recommended Utah's higher education institutions will have to do two things: increase enrollment and place more of their students in the state school districts.

And the USOE needs to help educators who left to have families return to the profession. All this does is assure full employment for college professors and state administrators.

No one seemed to notice the most important finding: that 40 percent of those who graduate from Utah teacher colleges never enter the profession and that another 40 percent leave the profession after five years. What is clear is that the state doesn't have a supply problem. It has a hemorrhaging problem.

Many don't want to enter the profession, and those who do want to leave it as soon as they can. Talk about a waste of tax dollars.

Story continues below

Besides, the study also found that one-half of the teachers trained come from a privately funded institution, Brigham Young University. So the question becomes, why should the Legislature spend more tax dollars in public higher education to train teachers when 40 percent never teach and those remaining are leaving at a rapid rate. Of the current number of teachers leaving this year (approximately 2,777), 24 percent are leaving to retire, which raises a critical question: Why is the other 76 percent leaving? I suspect teachers on exit interviews give courtesy answers similar to what politicians say when they leave — to spend more time with their family.

The truth is that many are leaving because of the oppressive and stressful working conditions now prevalent in today's schools. The state says, because of budget cuts, districts are increasing class sizes to use the same number of teachers. Researchers claim that will work in the "short run." That's OK, unless it's your student now sitting in overcrowded classrooms.

Like many who start college eager to enter their calling full of optimism, convinced they can make a difference in the lives of children, they quickly become disillusioned. They soon find themselves in a black hole, isolated, alone and unprotected by some administrators and board members from unwarranted criticism and harassment from parents, the public and legislators. They are required to teach by the numbers assembly-line style, and comply with myriad federal, state and district regulations.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

Tommy is a Prophet, Seer and Revelator! Not there is a good myth!

Why bury GM story?

The UAW are America workers who once build the largest corporation on earth...

It's rotten in Baghdad

@@mark B | 12:39 p.m. Even George W. Bush was against the surge until his...

It seems the Trail Blazers didn't do much to help themselves, but did do a...

As one who was once falsely accused of similar acts, but later the young girl...

REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED WHEN UTAH GAVE TOO MUCH FOR OSTERTAG? iT SCREWED THEM...

These teens re-lived the hardships of the Mormon Trail? Such silly...

Guess what?!! The rest of the world thinks MORMONS ARE NOT MORAL!!!

It's rotten in Baghdad

@If I were Obama | 7:25 a.m. So funny. LMAO with this comment. Just...

"Fight the Power" is trying to make a civil rights analogy here that...

Advertisements