In Pennsylvania, teacher shortage is most challenging in underserved rural and urban areas, and in the areas of special education, science and math.
“About 44% of public school teachers are quitting their jobs in less than five years,” Sen. Sanders said. “Why are they leaving in that profession?”
The reasons are many, Sanders said, including low pay and benefits, along with high anxiety and burnout, made worse by the pandemic.
There are about 2,000 teacher vacancies in Pennsylvania as of October 2023, according to Teach Plus, a nonprofit group that tracks the figures. In addition, another 6,500 are teaching on emergency certificates. The attrition rate for teachers is 6%, which is especially high.
The Pa. Department of Education issues emergency teacher certificates to public schools that are unable to hire teachers for positions that have been advertised. Candidates must meet all other criteria, such as a bachelor’s degree from a college or university approved by the state.
In 2023, the General Assembly passed a bipartisan legislation signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro that provided $10 million to pay a stipend of up to $15,000 to pay for a 12-week classroom internship needed to receive teacher certification, which is part of the state’s teacher pipeline program, to help alleviate the shortage.
Advocates for increasing the amount of money to pay for teachers in need of stipends, such as the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), estimate that the cost is $75 million.
PSEA represents about 180,000 teachers, school bus drivers and school nurses in the state.
For his part, Keyes urged the federal legislators to fund efforts such as the paraprofessional program he took advantage of, so communities can “grow their own teachers.”
“This is an issue of enormous consequences,” Sanders said. “There is nothing more important that we can do than to provide a quality education to all of our young people.”