EDUCATION
For more than a decade , school districts throughout California , including those in the Sacramento region , have been struggling with a shortage of teachers . Teaching represents a career that traditionally requires five or more years of university-level education , but it must compete against other career choices at that level of education that pay more . Teachers and prospective teachers must have a passion for service that impels them into the career .
But in recent years — and especially through the pandemic — the strains of the profession have deterred some from pursuing it and sent others into retirement earlier than expected .
Keeping Teachers on the Job Current teachers are an invaluable legion . They ’ ve invested time , money and commitment into their education and credentials , and have stuck with the job through the pandemic ’ s upheaval — some of the most trying times for public education . It ’ s critical to recognize and retain them as the rich resource they are .
“ An investment in educators is an investment in students and our state ’ s future ,” says E . Toby Boyd , a kindergarten educator and president of the California Teachers Association . “ It ’ s vital that districts throughout California make the decision to respect and pay our teachers more so they can sustain their commitment to students and make this profession desirable for future educators . Districts cannot afford to continue to lose teachers to neighboring districts or other professions , and students deserve wellqualified , supported educators .”
Generally speaking , California public school teachers ’ salaries come from state funding and pay schedules are determined by collective bargaining agreements between individual school districts and their local teacher associations . Factors in any individual teacher ’ s pay can include the teacher ’ s years in the field and education level , as well as which district the teacher works in , as some districts receive more funding than others .
“ In addition to increasing pay , workplace quality and culture is critical to retaining teachers ,” says David Gordon , Sacramento County superintendent of schools . “ Stability of leadership , clear expectations , support , professional development and advancement opportunities — those are things people evaluate when seeking employment in education or any other profession . School districts with unstable leadership , management and culture may struggle much more than others to find and keep not only teachers , but employees in general .” For teachers , advancement can mean transitioning into administrative roles such as principal and vice principal . Another role some may choose beyond teaching is becoming a teacher coach to help other educators with professional development .
“ A high-functioning district will have training and professional development built into its system , just like a capable company would have , rather than treating it as an add-on and sending teachers to go take a course somewhere ,” Gordon says . “ That makes a huge difference in recruiting , attracting and retaining people .”
The El Dorado County Office of Education and its district partners are a good example of ensuring that the commitment to educators expands beyond their classroom walls . “ At EDCOE , we foster the support and growth of educators and create connections through several initiatives ,” says Dr . Ed Manansala , El Dorado County superintendent of schools . “ Team members build important relationships with their colleagues and with the community . We also offer professional development via programs like the El Dorado Professional Improvement Community in which districts can network and develop resources to foster continuous improvement across the county .”
Building Tomorrow ’ s Teachers Programs to introduce young people to teaching and develop pipelines to teaching credentials and careers can be found
“ An investment in educators is an investment in students and our state ’ s future . It ’ s vital that districts throughout California make the decision to respect and pay our teachers more so they can sustain their commitment to students and make this profession desirable for future educators .
E . TOBY BOYD PRESIDENT , CALIFORNIA TEACHERS ASSOCIATION
throughout the Sacramento region . With the teacher shortage , programs that fasttrack teaching credentials are becoming more common , too .
In the Yuba City Unified School District , a career technical education ( CTE ) class provides high-school students with hands-on experience in elementary school classrooms . “ My Childhood Education class has the potential to develop future teachers ,” says YCUSD teacher Anna O ’ Leary . “ In years past , CTE would have been something like wood shop but has
78 comstocksmag . com | September 2022