Opinion: Michigan’s public schools face educator shortage crisis
February 19, 2020
By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association
There is a crisis in our public schools that threatens a generation of students.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan has experienced a 70.7% decline in enrollment in teacher-education programs in the last decade. The only state with a worse decline in students studying to become teachers is Oklahoma. This shortage extends to other school employees, from bus drivers to paraprofessionals.
The problem is compounded by another startling statistic: 1 in 5 new teachers leave the classroom within the first five years of entering the profession. These two trends have resulted in an educator shortage crisis in Michigan.
