California Facing Teacher Shortage

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Boo...fucking..HOO.

Pay a LIVING WAGE and the shortage will END.

WHEN was the decision made that HARD WORK, DEDICATION and SACRIFICE should equal CRAP PAY? There is a "California Teaching Shortage" because the scumbag "house flippers" have made it IMPOSSIBLE to live in this state on a teacher's salary.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166941,00.html

A massive teacher shortage in California has more than just students raising their hands in the air asking for help.

According to a new study, one-third of all teachers in the state will retire over the next decade, leaving California nearly 100,000 teachers short.

"We're facing a major crisis that's worse than any we've seen so far," said Harvey Hunt of the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning (search), a nonprofit organization that deals with teacher development policy.

The No Child Left Behind Act (search) made state teacher credentialing requirements tougher, and as a result thinned the ranks of would-be teachers. Administrators say that, in addition to the tougher credentialing requirements, with an average starting salary of $35,000 it is often difficult to recruit and retain qualified teachers, especially given California's high cost of living and competition from other industries. "If you're looking to raise a family and have a home, which is everyone's dream, it's going to be very difficult if you're a teacher,” said Barbara Kerr of California Teachers United (search), the state teachers union.

[Canuckistanian]

1. If it's a shortage, does that mean the price goes up?

That's the way it's supposed to work, right? Supply and Demand?
The "invisible hand"?

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

2. No, a teacher shortage means...

...lowering credential requirements.

Teachers are shown NO RESPECT.

One of my best friends is a teacher, for blind and vision-impaired students.

The Alum Rock School District (San Jose, CA) LET HER GO.

She was GOOD. She was DEDICATED.

It DIDN'T MATTER.

[SoonerShankle]

6. And we teachers don't like lowering...

credentially requirements. We want highly qualified, fully-credentialed teachers in every classroom. The kids deserve it!

Plus, we could see class sizes continue to increase despite the fact CA ranks dead last in the US (i.e. we have the largest class sizes). Remember that NCLB requires highly qualified teachers or the school does not receive a nod for making adequate yearly progress (AYP).

[JamesTee]

3. $35,000 to start? In California???

And they're shocked that there is a shortage of teachers? Reminds me of a local news story here in western Pennsylvania. The point of the story was that the local district couldn't recruit enough substitute teachers, yet they were paying a whopping $70 a day with no benefits! And there is a question why they aren't recruiting? Those are less than poverty wages and forget about ever raising a family on that. I guess we're all supposed to start lowering our expectations?

[SoonerShankle]

5. Don't be fooled when they say CA teachers are best paid...

The Rand Report debunks that. While CA teachers may AVERAGE the most money in the US, when adjusted for cost of living and inflation we rank in the mid-30s, well below the national average.

[SoonerShankle]

4. and the Governator's special election makes it even harder...

to recruit and retain quality teachers. If props. 74, 75, and/or 76 pass, there will be massive problems in keeping teachers.

Prop. 74 blames poor teacher quality on new teachers by attempting to lengthen probationary periods from 2 to 5 years, even though research does NOT support the notion that extended probe periods means better teachers. If administrators took proper steps then bad teachers would be gone!!! Why would I want to go to school for 5 or 6 years to make $35,000 and be on probation for 5 years when I can go into many other fields making at least that much and only be on probation for 3 to 6 months. Be real. How are we going to retain teachers with this?

Prop. 75 blames all of the government's woes on public employees unions by making all members handwrite permission for their unions to use any of their dues for any political action annually. Currently public employees unions (teachers, firefighters, police, nurses, etc. who are governed by the Rodda Act) obtain permission from their members through negative checkoff. If a member does not want their dues used for political purposes, all they have to do is send in the form, and their dues stay in the general budget. This prop. basically is saying that unions run the legislature rather than corporations. Corporations are NOT targeted at all despite outspending unions 24 to 1 in the political arena. How are we going to keep teachers if we stifle their voices on the issues that affect them and tell them how to spend their own money (I pay my dues out of money I have already earned...)

Prop. 76 blames schools for budget problems and allows the governor, without any checks/balances, to change the amount budgeted to schools and other public entities up to three times during the year. Imagine budgeting for your programs and teacher hiring as required by law by July 1, then half way through the year facing cutting classrooms budgets because the governor decides he wants to cut the education budget mid-year. And facing this not once, or twice, but up to three times during the course of a fiscal year. This prop. hurts ALL state programs, but especially schools!!! How are we going to recruit quality teachers when we cannot even provide enough job security to last the length of one school year?

[donco6]

Interesting comments.

I agree that lengthening probationary periods will do nothing. If you can't identify a bad teacher in 3 years, you're just not paying attention.

In Colorado, the legislature has tried twice to make it unlawful to use payroll deduction for teacher union dues. Supposedly it causes more work for the district. I run payroll for the district and it does NOT cause any more work at all.

Changing the funding midyear is a ridiculous idea, primarily because we sign year-long contracts with teachers, and salaries comprise 80% of our budget! We'd have to try to anticipate a cut, underhire staff, which increases class size, all in an attempt to keep from going in the red if the Governor decides he wants to cut funding. It's crazy!

[bridgit]

9. defeat schwarzenegger & his special interest groups...

:thumbsup:

[Cleita]

7. Thank you Arnold for everything you have done for us.

Now please get out of politics so we can fix what you have done for us.

[Lindacooks]

8. And that's the way repukes want it. An uneducated or

undereducated population is easier to control and lie to.