Finding Good Educators May Be Costly, But It’S A Good Investment

With the economy booming in this land of plenty, most Americans would have difficulty believing we are facing lean times of any kind. But the fact is that a teacher shortage looms in the near future.

A million of this country’s current teachers will reach retirement age within the next 10 years. Who will take their place when an increasing number of college graduates are being lured away into other higher-paying professions?

This is the question being asked all around the nation, especially in the more rural areas of the South and here in the West, areas which are unable to offer the higher wages that are guaranteed by the more highly populated and industrialized regions of the North and East.

Officials in Kootenai County schools know that they are not exempt from having to face this dilemma. They are already studying the impending teacher shortage, well aware that 60 percent of this state’s educators are pushing retirement age.

Indeed, Panhandle school districts are beginning to feel the pinch. They are seeing a drop-off in the number of applicants with endorsements in special education, counseling and speech pathology. And high school math, music, technology and foreign language positions are also becoming harder to fill.

What can be done to ensure that enough teachers will remain in North Idaho’s classrooms?

According to Jerry Keane, Post Falls assistant superintendent, school administrators are investigating what other states are doing to develop more varied and nontraditional methods of teacher recruitment and retention. While none of these methods has been adopted in Idaho thus far, they are definitely being considered.

Because recruiting teachers has become competitive, many western states are trying creative ways to attract applicants. One method is arranging for teacher candidates to receive low-cost home loans or offering them security deposits to make moving into apartments easier.

Some states are turning to incentives much like those made available to professional athletes: boosting starting pay for teachers, offering signing bonuses to teachers in highest demand and instituting performance awards.

Kelly Ostrom, Human Resource Director for the Coeur d Alene School District, indicated that ways are being sought to establish a more aggressive teacher recruitment program. District 271 already posts job openings at more than 50 universities nationwide and is considering making use of Internet advertising agencies.

Also, Coeur d Alene school officials probably will be attending more regional job fairs this spring - in Spokane, Missoula and Tacoma - where they set up booths to draw applicants, hand out information packets, conduct interviews and collect resumes.

However, too often Panhandle school districts have seen their new recruits flocking across the state line a few years later to the higher paying Spokane market, which specifically looks for teachers with classroom experience. This creates constant turnover.

And the problem will soon be compounded as more vacancies are created by the retiring crop of teachers from the Baby Boom era.

Idaho has had some success with teacher retention through its Mentor Teacher Program, which offers stipends to experienced mentor teachers, release time for mentors and first-year teachers, and professional development activities for both.

Of course, most states reward experience, advanced skills and additional degrees. But some states are now offering bonuses of up to $30,000 to educators who obtain national board certification. A few even give teachers time off to study for the exam, pay the test fee, and reward the teacher with a salary increase when they pass.

All things considered, our regions school officials should be commended for the fact that they are aware of and already researching solutions to head off the imminent teacher shortage.

They should also be supported in their effort to find creative ways to recruit and retain educators.

While many of the innovations being examined by Panhandle schools will cost more money, they should be regarded as a good investment for tax-paying parents - because teachers are the heart of a school, the single most important factor in a student’s success.