Committee seeks to end educator shortage

OLYMPIA — The House Education Committee discussed this week the reasons for, and the possible solutions to, the statewide teacher shortage.

Representatives from the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) came before the committee and cited a lack of interest in the field of education, high attrition rates of teachers, and a lack of a system to predict the teaching needs of different districts as reasons for the current shortage.

Enrollment in teacher preparation programs nationwide is significantly declining, according to Jennifer Wallace, executive director of PESB.

The state is also having problems with teachers, especially new teachers, staying once they are hired. The statewide attrition rate is about 7 percent.

In the Moses Lake School District, between 2002 and 2012, 345 new teachers were hired. Of those new teachers, 13.3 percent left after their first year.

Wallace said it is not just a problem with the number of teachers, it is a problem of distributing them across the state.

“We are a large state, we have lots of geographic area to cover, and getting individuals from where they’re prepared to where they’re hired is always a challenge — and a persistent one,” she said.

Wallace said although every field in education currently has a shortage of teachers, it is important for districts to know which kinds of teachers they will need in the future.

Some of the solutions proposed included providing districts with forecasting tools to better predict workforce needs, providing incentives and moving expenses for transferring teachers, and establishing competitive starting teaching salaries.

The beginning pay is a major factor in many people choosing to not go into education. The interest from high school students in the field dropped to 5 percent last year, according to David Brenna, senior policy analyst at PESB.

Teachers also leave because of poor workplace conditions, such as lack of adequate support from their district, Brenna said.

Wallace and Brenna also recommended encouraging teachers with temporary or emergency credentials to obtain full credentials by adding incentives and support.

The committee also heard testimony for a number of bills meant to address the teacher shortage.

One bill, HB 1293 concerned training for paraeducators. This bill would allow for better training and support for paraeducators, as well as requiring certification.

Another bill, HB 1983, proposed creating a pilot project for providing financial assistance to teachers taking basic skills and content tests for teacher certification programs.

Both bills are scheduled for executive session on Thursday.