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Earlier dicussion on these pages led to some agreement that teacher pay won't increase until administrators can't fill their positions. Well, are we there yet?
- Only 5 applicants for HS biology at Beresford;
- only 5 applicants for HS math at Canton, and none of them had the qualifications to teach AP math that Canton wanted;
- elementary applicant pools shrinking;
- applicants turning down offers from Canton because the district can't afford competitive benefit packages;
- out-of-state schools easily attracting our first-year teachers with big signing bonuses. [Kelli Grant, "Quality Teachers in the Classroom," KELOLand.com, 2007.08.08]
The free market should be kicking in any time now to solve this problem and raise teacher pay... right? Or is the system actually working, providing South Dakota schools with their third or fourth choices from the applicant pool and fewer teachers who can teach upper-level college prep courses? Hmm... what is the market telling us?
People question why schools are suing the State of South Dakota over the school funding formula? The formula works, but it has been grossly under-funded since Janklow created the formula in the 1990's. If Madison and other schools are successful in garnering more "per student" funds via the lawsuit, it will preclude them from using future opt out funds and place the burden of funding back in the state's lap, where it constitutionally belongs. It will also offer other schools the ability to do what Sioux Falls' growing district is doing, doling out deserved salary increases, both to remain competitive and to properly compensate educators. Increase the pay and the number of young people wishing to enter teaching will also increase which solves the applicant problem.
ReplyDeleteShow me a dearth of applicants for elementary positions in the state, please. I have a relative who still can't find an elementary teaching job. She isn't expecting to make a mint of money, she simply wants to be able to teach young students. There probably is a shortage of math and science applicants, but there is NO shortage of elementary teachers.
ReplyDeleteEven if we have plenty of elementary applicants (and the KELO report says that group appears to be shrinking, too), who's going to teach those kids when they get past sixth grade and need college prep? The very teachers we need to propel the state toward meeting the governor's Mike Rounds for Senate Campaign -- oops! I mean 2010 Initiative Goals -- are leaving the South Dakota applicant pool and heading for other jobs and other states that pay them what their skills are worth.
ReplyDelete