As new academic year looms, some local school districts still struggling to hire teachers

BELLEVUE, Wash. — With just a few weeks before the start of a new academic year, many school districts in Washington state are still looking to hire teachers through hundreds of job openings for classroom educators posted online.

So, what’s the solution to this crisis in the classroom?

“We have as a profession and have always (had) what we call a wage gap," said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, adding that eliminating that wage gap will be the first step to hiring and retaining teachers.

A nationwide analysis of salaries by the NEA shows that educators today are earning on average about $2,000 less than what they earned 10 years ago.

And when compared with other professions that demand the same level of education, Pringle said teachers are paid 20 percent less.

“We saw teachers are living out of their cars," she said. "Teachers who couldn’t afford to take care of their own families."

The average public school teacher in Washington state earns $76,820 according to a 2019-20 document published by the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Adding benefits, pushes that base salary to $87,452 .

In addition to negotiating pay, the next step is helping future teachers get the education they need to earn more.

“We will offer the opportunity for you to get your two-year degree or four-year degree through our Horizons Teacher Degree Program," said Felicia Robinson, the chief people and inclusion officer for Bright Horizons. "We have partnerships with about five to seven institutions across the country."

The company has had more than 2,000 employees enroll in their Horizons Teacher Degree Program since it started four years ago, officials said

“It’s really one of those things that pays for itself pretty readily,” Robinson said.

The only criteria to enroll in the Horizons program is possession of a high school diploma.

Said Robinson: “We need people who really love children and want to be a part of creating future generations of leaders and pouring back into children so that they develop holistically."

The Washington Education Association said just about every district in the state applied for emergency certificates last school year, so that they would hire people who were not yet fully certified to each in Washington.

Those certificates are good for two years.

If you’re worried about who will be teaching your children and the number of openings in your district, go to your local district’s website or ask your superintendent for that information.