With a huge state surplus and a new budget plan coming soon from Gov. Tony Evers, education advocates are hoping for money and programs to stem teacher shortages around the state. Already, some concrete proposals are in the mix.
The Department of Public Instruction’s budget includes measures aiming to boost the education workforce amid an acute shortage of teachers and staff.
The agency’s 2023-2025 budget requests $10 million in general-purpose revenue for a new “Grow Your Own” grant program. The program would reimburse local education agencies for participating in initiatives to help people gain educational degrees and licenses, such as paying licensing costs and sponsoring clubs that encourage high school students to pursue educational careers. UW-Madison also has a program to encourage the training of students who will teach in Wisconsin.
Evers, former state superintendent of public instruction, has urged more funding for public schools and previously announced $75 million to help districts meet staffing needs, among other things.
Meanwhile, Republican legislative leaders have indicated their willingness to work with the Democratic governor on school funding but have also pushed to expand the state’s private school choice program.
Any budget plan or proposal to spend money from the state’s expected $6.6 billion surplus needs approval from the GOP-dominated Legislature and Evers.
Education advocates report a desperate need for teachers and staffers.
Susan Muenter, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School Personnel Administrators, told WisPolitics.com she believes based on conversations with association members that while staffing hasn’t gotten worse since the school year started, it hasn’t improved either. She said it is especially challenging to keep support staff positions filled, including custodians, food services and bus drivers.
“We’re competing against Kwik Trip and McDonald’s and whatever. You know, every time we raise wages, they do, too,” Muenter said.
Wisconsin Education Association Council President Peggy Wirtz-Olsen, who is also a teacher, in a statement called the amount of people leaving education jobs “alarming.”
“The educator shortage causes disruption for students and puts additional stress on those who remain in the profession,” Wirtz-Olsen said.
An internal DPI survey from August found a majority of responding districts and charter schools had trouble filling positions for the 2022-2023 school year amid an overall workforce shortage across the state.
DPI in August requested that the state’s 421 districts and 240 charter schools in public school districts voluntarily complete the staffing survey to better gauge the number of open positions and specific areas of need to address. Of the 335 responding school districts and charter schools, 307 cited staffing issues.
Of those, 234 districts said they lacked classroom teachers, 215 said they needed more classroom support staff and 131 said pupil services staff were needed.
The number of UW System graduates conferred with bachelor’s degrees in education has decreased overall since the 2000-2001 school year, with a high of 2,437 in 2003-04.
Rep. Joel Kitchens, the vice-chair of the Assembly Education Committee, told WisPolitics.com while there is a need for more teachers, there is an overall worker shortage in the state. Kitchens said it is important to provide incentives to encourage more people to pursue education careers and be more flexible with licensing.
For those seeking to become teachers, they must either seek a bachelor’s degree or attend a teacher prep program, attend a post-baccalaureate program, or attend an alternative route program to gain licensure in a specific subject, and apply for a license.
Of the respondents to the August DPI survey, 171 specifically indicated a need for special education staff, with 92 listing math and 88 listing English language arts/literacy/reading.
Other data from the responding school district and charter schools include:
- 87 districts cited a need for help in the career and technical education and technical fields; 60 districts said they needed help filling science positions and 56 listed English learner/language acquisition.
