Published: November 08, 2007 10:26 pm         

WVEA warns of teacher shortage

West Virginia faces a looming “crisis” in the form of a teacher shortage, West Virginia Education Association vice president Dale Lee said Thursday in Raleigh County.

To avert what he sees as a coming train wreck, his organization will propose a two-pronged solution to the state Legislature when it convenes in January — increase the starting salary for West Virginia teachers from their present statewide average of $29,114 to $35,000 and put in place a plan to attain and maintain the average West Virginia teacher salary at the national average. The former goal could be accomplished with an 8 percent annual salary increase over each of the next three years, Lee estimated.

“Our classrooms are not filled with quality educators,” Lee lamented.

“It’s time for all of us to come together and join forces to address these problems and solve them.”

Lee added the salary factor was the biggest component in attracting quality teachers. Why, Lee queried, should a teacher in a bordering county not drive an extra 15 minutes or so to earn an additional $10,000 to $15,000 per year in an adjoining state?

According to statistics shared by Lee at Independence Middle School, the average West Virginia educator made $38,284 in 2006. Maryland and Pennsylvania stood in stark contrast at more than $54,000 apiece. The national average last year was $49,109, the National Education Association determined.

When referring to a “teacher shortage,” Lee emphasized he was speaking not only of current vacancies, but also to what he sees as the inability to attract and retain highly qualified people in the profession for the future. The WVEA has also shared its concerns with the governor and legislative leaders. “To date, little has been done by our state leaders to address the problem,” he said.

“Little action has been taken to avert the problem, even though research has been done. We know the factors causing the shortage — a lack of adequately prepared teachers and an increasing number of current teachers reaching retirement age. If we are to continue producing scientists, engineers and others to work in a global society, we must have competent, knowledgeable professionals in our classrooms. All of West Virginia has a stake in our education system.”

The state Department of Education has projected the number of educators eligible for retirement will skyrocket from 5,404 next year to 9,515 by 2012.

The Bureau of Business and Economic Research at West Virginia University presented its findings to the Legislature recently on teacher shortages. As Lee put it, researchers came to the conclusion that such shortages result from an inability to fill positions with qualified personnel in a timely fashion at the prevailing market wage and fringe benefits. In addition, non-competitive wages compared to other professions decrease the number of prospective teachers attracted to the teaching profession.

Non-competitive wages and poor working conditions, the study found, also result in high rates of attrition among teachers. Several studies, Lee said, show that individuals with the strongest academic backgrounds are less likely to enroll in teacher training programs, less likely to become teachers upon completion of these programs and more likely to leave the profession. The literature suggests that attracting and retaining highly qualified teachers requires competitive pay, Lee added.

A statewide survey on teacher working conditions will be conducted in late January and early February, Lee explained, in partnership with the state Department of Education and the New Teacher Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz.

“Keep in mind — teacher working conditions are student learning conditions,” he observed.

In the more immediate future, the WVEA and Vision Shared will host an education summit in Charleston this weekend to allow educators to voice their concerns to state leaders. That will commence this evening with a reception at the Governor’s Mansion and continue Saturday at the Charleston Civic Center. A number of events and activities are planned for the legislative session, including an Education Day rally on the Capitol steps Jan. 21.

For more information on this weekend’s summit or on the WVEA in general, visit www.wvea.org or call WVEA director of communications Kym Randolph at 346-5315, extension 211.

— E-mail: mhill@register-herald.com