Michigan Districts Facing Generalized Shortages of Teachers

While the Michigan Department of Education does not track vacancies among the state's 900 public school districts, it publishes a critical list of shortages of positions for retirees. Teaching positions sometimes for years because more lucrative jobs in the private sector attract candidates.

"I told my physics teacher to never retire," said Superintendent Louis Steigerwald of the Norway-Vulcan region schools in the Upper Peninsula.

Steigerwald, who is also Regional Chairman of the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators, said his own district has no vacancies, but he is still worried about filling positions.

"We are competing with the private sector, it's scary," he said. "If we want to be a leader in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, there are not many people in these programs to replace those who will take their retirement."

Steigerwald conducted an investigation last month that found that 29 of the 36 U.P. the districts surveyed had vacancies. Several districts have declared zero candidates for jobs open for a year or more. The answer also included anonymous comments.

A superintendent responded to the survey: "I currently have two positions: special elementary education and high school mathematics, both of which have been vacant since the spring of 2018; we posted both twice. and have no idea of ​​where the UP is and explained to them once … that they refuse the opportunity to interview. "

Another Superintendent said, "I think we will need two basic teachers after some internal movement, I think we will have up to six candidates I know immediately." Eighteen years ago, about 90 candidates would have have been selected. "

According to the Michigan Education Association, union leaders from several school districts in the Detroit metropolitan area last week reported teachers' vacations, marking the start of the 2018-19 school year in most districts.

Wendy Zdeb, executive director of the Michigan Secondary School Principals Association, said that her members have faced a shortage of teachers for several years.

"Initially, there was a shortage in urban and rural districts and in some areas such as special education, world languages, mathematics, science, ELL instructors," Zdeb said.

However, in recent years, attendance at university and state job fairs has dropped dramatically, and applications for university teacher education programs have also declined, according to Zdeb.

In Michigan, the number of initial certificates issued to enter the teaching profession increased from 9,664 in 2003-04 to 3,317 in 2017-18, according to the most recent data from public education. department.

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Stephanie Janigian teaches mathematics to fifth grade students at Madison Heights Elementary School. Math teachers are in high demand in Michigan. (Photo: David Guralnick, The Detroit News)

Many factors influence the shortage, Zdeb said, including the fact that fewer people are looking for bachelor's degrees in general, which also means less teacher preparation time. The low overall unemployment rate, which remains below 5% in Michigan, has opened up many better-paying job opportunities, she added.

"If you have a major in science or math and you are a certified teacher, you can definitely earn more money and get better benefits in the private sector," said Zdeb. nights and weekends just to be able to live and cover your student loans. "

Data from the National Education Association published in April showed that the average salary of teachers in US public schools for 2016-2017 was $ 59,660. Average teacher salaries ranged from $ 81,902 in New York, $ 79,128 in California and $ 78,100 in Massachusetts to $ 42,925 in Mississippi, $ 45,292 in Oklahoma and $ 45,555 in West Virginia.

Some school districts, however, are more likely to fill vacant positions. In the public schools of Ferndale, the opening of a kindergarten teacher on August 28 attracted more than 50 candidates in four days.

"There is great interest for candidates coming to Ferndale," said Superintendent Dania Bazzi. "We have a hometown, a small school atmosphere, we are very diverse, it's attractive."

But Michigan Education Association spokesman David Crim said several districts, including Flint, Romulus, Waterford Township, Farmington, Pontiac and Benton Harbor, had vacancies ranging from 15 to 45 vacancies.

"It's overwhelming," he said. "When I talk to other districts about it, they say Detroit.I say no, you have to look beyond Detroit.This is a serious statewide problem."

During the summer, the Detroit Public Schools Community District has been successful in reducing its vacancy rate from over 200 positions to 90 vacant positions.

District management has done so through an intensive spring and summer teacher recruitment campaign that has attracted several hundred candidates to job fairs. The district has also established a master's program and is working directly with state universities to create teacher pipelines in the district.

Ivy Bailey, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers, said paying new teacher candidates for their years of service in the field would be a game changer for the shortage. The change was announced in the spring.

"The most important thing was the years of service – it was major," Bailey said. "It made it more inviting to come."

Many newly hired teachers work in the fields of art, music and physical education after the district has reinstated these classes in schools after long absences.

Bailey said that while 90% represents significant progress, there is still work to be done. Vacancies are mainly in special education and in K-5 buildings, not in high schools.

"For me, 90% remains problematic," she said. "It depends on the number of vacancies in individual schools.You have schools without vacancies and others four to five, especially if you are in ELA or mathematics."

One problem: the district does not offer additional payments or bonuses to teachers who work in special education, Bailey said.

"We need something else to attract specialized teachers in the district," she said.

Teachers must also be better paid, she said. Detroit public school teachers start at $ 39,757, Bailey said. After years of managing emergency situations, she added, the highest level – about $ 67,277 – is behind many districts.

Detroit's new teacher attraction campaign, which offers mortgage discounts, free OnStar services and discounts on DNA testing, clothing, books and computers, will help address this shortage, Bailey said . Teach 313 is a public-private partnership focused on recruitment, retention, quality of life and professional development.

"When it comes to teacher recruitment in general, we need to shed some light on Detroit teachers," Bailey said.

In the Farmington School District, Superintendent George Heitsch is working to fill six vacancies in elementary and secondary education and special education.

Some vacancies are due to the increase in the number of registrations in some buildings, while others come from teachers who leave in other districts or retire, has he added.

For the future, Heitsch is not optimistic about solving the shortage of teachers.

"It's going to get worse," he said. "The solution for me is a concentrated effort like we did for nursing, when we saw it happen, intentional efforts were made to attract people to the profession."

Bruce Jordan, director of Uniserv for the MEA for Flint Community Schools, said the vacancies are between 30 and 50 positions and positions are being negotiated.

"The legislature, for the most part, has repressed the need for people to enter the teaching profession," Jordan said. "In Flint, as a teacher, this has its own challenges – I've been working for Flint as a math teacher for 10 years – it's hard work."

Some districts said they would hire teachers as part of Michigan's alternative certification program. The legislator created the alternative route to licensing in 2009.

These programs allow the hiring of candidates with a bachelor's degree but who have not completed a teacher preparation program while fulfilling the certification requirements.

Along with a shortage of teachers, Michigan is also suffering from a shortage of teachers.

At the end of this month, new rules will come into effect to reduce the number of university credits needed to become an alternate teacher. Michigan lawmakers have changed the requirement from 90 semester hours to 60 semester hours.

Bill DeFrance, Superintendent of Public Schools Eaton Rapids, said submarine research was a chronic problem in Michigan school districts, but the change in the law should help reduce it. His district does not have a vacancy this year.

"The place we have the problem is the submarines, and that will change at the end of the month," said DeFrance. "We have to get the message across, I've already talked to some people, it will take us three to six months to change the submarine offer."

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