I am in my junior year of college studying communication. If you asked me four years ago what I would study, I would have said “education.”
However, I have heard nothing but negative comments from teachers I know who have left the field and current teachers in my life, which have made me change my mind about the profession. Two of my past teachers have even left the United States and moved on to different jobs outside the country.
Teachers must be better compensated to make the work more attractive to new hires and to encourage veteran teachers to stay.
The demand for teachers in Connecticut is drastic. In the fall 2023 school year, there were about 1,300 vacancies statewide. With so many vacancies, and students like me who are opting not to major in education, why are teachers leaving the profession?
The Connecticut Education Association, which is the state’s largest teacher union, ran a survey this fall. The survey showed that 64% of educators were somewhat or very likely to discourage others from teaching. Of those, 38% were somewhat dissatisfied and 26% were very dissatisfied with conditions facing educators. The same study showed that 36% of educators feel the highest-ever level of frustration this year, and 41% are feeling higher levels than in previous years.
The survey also found that 99% of the responders believe higher salaries would help recruit new teachers, as would more effective discipline.
Not everyone agrees. Andrew G. Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute and Jason Richwine of the Manhattan Institute, writing in the City Journal, say that pay increases are “expensive and inefficient” across the board. But Connecticut is an expensive state to live in. The living wage that a single person needs to live in this state is $63,078. Meanwhile, the average pay for teachers in Connecticut is alarmingly low at $49,288.
Teachers have added costs to the job that strain their wallets. According to NEA Today, “Well over 90 percent of teachers spend their own money on school supplies and other items their students need to succeed.” The NEA said that before the pandemic, teachers spent an average of $500 from their pockets on classroom supplies. The NEA believes the number is much higher post-pandemic.
Under state law, teachers who started their jobs after 2018 must obtain a master’s degree to teach in Connecticut. That means more student loans. According to Bethany McCamish in Student Loan Planner, “Teachers who’ve done graduate programs in high-cost cities have as much as $103,000 in student loan debt.” McCamish adds, “According to a 2020 study by the Economic Policy Institute, teachers are paid an average of 20% less than similarly educated professionals.”
It is unfair how little teachers are paid, especially since they usually work long hours. “On average, teachers reported working 15 hours per week longer than required by contract,” said Rand Corp. in its work with the American Educator Panels. Underpaying teachers who put in more work than their contract states is unfair to them and diminishes all their hard work.
The state legislature requires teachers to get expensive master’s degrees. Shouldn’t the state legislature also require higher pay for teachers to help with their student loans in this expensive state?
Nicholas Johnson is a junior at Central Connecticut State University.