State school chiefs are working to stave off a projected 1,200-teacher-a-year shortage, but they want more money to bring good people into the classroom — and keep them there.

"We have not seen the huge crisis yet," state associate superintendent Ray Timothy told the legislative Education Interim Committee on Wednesday. "We just want to make sure we don't face the same issue we've seen in Utah with the nursing shortage."

But it's uncertain how lawmakers might react to the plea. Last year, they let die two bills that would have helped address the issue.

A teacher shortage has been forecast for years. A couple of years ago, some districts started school with substitutes and a few unmanned classes. And right now, there aren't enough math, science, special education and English-as-a-second-language teachers to go around, state reports show.

But a more far-reaching statewide teacher shortage could hit any time, with more than 8,000 Utah teachers at retirement age, Timothy said.

Granted, the state is getting some help from programs and the economic downturn, which brought former teachers back to the classroom. But there still aren't enough teachers coming out of college to replace potential retirees, let alone keep up with growing student enrollments, Timothy said. Worse, one-third of teachers quit within their first three years on the job, and 50 percent leave within the first five years.

Utah's issue is not supply, but retention, Timothy said. And the state needs to give more money to fix the problem.

The top reason teachers leave is "the feeling of isolation and the lack of support," Timothy said.

Yet legislators this year pooh-poohed a some $3 million bill, sponsored by Rep. Brad Johnson, R-Aurora, to offer beginning teachers mentoring and better pay.

The state also offers to forgive student loans for teaching in Utah, but Timothy said funding is not keeping up with rising costs of tuition. Legislators say they gave just under $800,000 to the program this year, but the Utah System of Higher Education has not seen it, and anticipated slashing program slots by more than two-thirds, assistant commissioner for academic affairs Phyllis "Teddi" Safman said.

Federal money for programs helping accountants, scientists and other professionals to become teachers also is about to dry up, and the State Office of Education doesn't have the staff to assist 350 people in the "alternative route to licensure program," said Joan Patterson, director of education quality for the State Office of Education.

There's also no state money to reward or help teachers attain the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification, considered on par with a doctorate degree and shown to improve student achievement.

Lawmakers had a chance to change that last Legislature under a $300,000 bill sponsored by Rep. Kory Holdaway, R-Taylorsville. The bill died in the Senate.

Still, Timothy is hopeful lawmakers will see things his way. A State Board of Education task force also is hashing out other solutions and funding requests.

"I feel like we are starting to get support from our legislators," Timothy said. "I think that they are trying to figure a way to address, to stop the crisis from happening . . . Today was pretty much planting the seeds one more time."

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E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com