Mass. Exodus of Teachers
By Hillary Chabot, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
May 7–BOSTON — Massachusetts teachers are tossing their blue books aside and leaving classroom chalkboards bare.
They’re exiting the profession in massive numbers as the baby-boomer generation hits retirement age and younger teachers flee to escape the costly and demanding world of teaching in Massachusetts.
“We’re headed for a crisis,” Education Commissioner David Driscoll said. “I think it’s mildly serious right now, and it’s getting more serious every day.”
About 4,900 Massachusetts teachers are expected to retire this year, bringing the number of retired teachers to 13,000 over the past three years — nearly 20 percent of the state’s teaching population. The state, meanwhile, has put little effort into recruiting new teachers, particularly in hard-to-fill subjects like math, science and special education.
State lawmakers approved an additional $246 million in education for local districts this year, but little of that has gone toward recruiting and keeping new talent — a costly and shortsighted mistake,
said Driscoll.
“If we’re serious about recruiting and retaining teachers — and we should be because they are crucial to education — then we ought to provide incentives,” Driscoll said.
Help may be on the horizon. Gov. Deval Patrick said he will tackle the issue in an education package he’s unveiling next month.
“It will, among other things, address the need to refresh the ranks of public teachers,” said Patrick, without elaborating. “It’s a very serious issue, particularly given the retirement bubble we’re dealing with right now.”
The main problem with such incentives is that they are costly, which could be a tough sell as legislators struggle to overcome a $1 billion budget deficit. But districts pay about $50,000 to replace every teacher lost, according to Lynda Johnson, assistant dean of the teaching program at Simmons College.
Other states, such as North Carolina, offer scholarships to both out-of-state and in-state high-school graduates. The state covers tuition for the student as he completes his teaching degree, so long as the student promises to teach in state for four years after he graduates.
Jane Smith, coordinator of teacher recruitment at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the state has been aggressively recruiting.
“There is a tremendous shortage in our state because we’ve had an enormous growth boom,” she said. “We decided we have to be animated in this. We can’t sit back and hope people come to us.”
Driscoll unveiled a similar scholarship program in 2000 in Massachusetts as part of a $100 million comprehensive plan. The plan brought in 1,837 new teachers over a two-year period, including candidates from California, Florida and Utah. Legislators ended the program shortly after it began, though, due to tough fiscal times in 2002.
Currently, the state reserves $500,000 for a similar program, called the Incentive Program for Teachers. College juniors and seniors must earn a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher and pledge to teach for two years in Massachusetts after they graduate.
Lowell High School Headmaster Bill Samaras said a larger form of tuition forgiveness would be a huge help to new teachers, who often start at the school swimming in debt.
“There are a lot of teachers who come in and are struggling with loans,” he said. “This would be a big help.”
Teachers also lack support when they start, prompting many to abandon the profession after only three years, said Anne Wass, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
About half of teachers who start in urban school districts will leave within three years, and 30 percent of suburban teachers will leave, Wass said. New teachers need mentors to help them learn about, and navigate, their new career.
“If you want the best quality teachers in the room, you’ve got to give them the support that they need to achieve that,” Wass said.
While none of the budget drafts has included funding to recruit or retain teachers, some state legislators say they have plans to bring in new talent.
State Rep. Kevin Murphy, a Lowell Democrat, plans to co-file a bill that would grant students who go on to teach math and science in the state $5,000 toward tuition a year.
And State Sen. Robert Antonioni, a Democrat from Leominster, filed a $250 million bill designed by current teachers and school administrative officials aimed at bringing in new teachers. He hopes the measure will be included in the Senate budget, but he understands the restraints officials are facing this year.
“I’ve got to be honest, I’m not optimistic,” Antonioni said.
Some school districts aren’t waiting for state funding to attack the problem. School officials in Lowell began a recruitment fair and a mentoring program within the past few years as teachers began retiring in record numbers.
The most recent fair in Lowell brought in 30 new teachers, and the mentoring program has retained many, said Susan Duggan, assistant superintendent of personnel for Lowell’s public schools.
“It’s been well worth the effort we’ve put in,” said Duggan.
Westford resident Christopher Anderson, chairman of the Board of Education, believes the state will address the shortage.
“We’re on the tipping point of being able to implement strategic initiatives all designed to benefit students,” Anderson said.
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Copyright (c) 2007, The Sun, Lowell, Mass.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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