After lunch, I sat down to answer emails. To no surprise, my inbox had messages regarding the current legislative session in Frankfort. We are a little half way through this year’s legislative session and we find ourselves in an all too familiar position of having to fight for adequate funding for schools as well as our educators. One particular email encouraged me to reach out to my legislators to implore them to adjust the current state budget proposal (HB 6) so that teachers across our state would receive a raise (it currently does not have funds earmarked for an educator raise). I have reached out to my “representatives” and will do so again. The question remains, why is this even necessary?
For some time, teacher shortages have been an issue. But, since 2019, we continue to see the number of open teaching positions rise. There are a number of studies available that explore the causes of retention and overall attrition rates, but one contributing factor that remains constant is the lack of compensation these professionals receive. Our General Assembly has made efforts in the past few budgets to significantly contribute to the once flailing Teacher Retirement System. Despite the fact that these are mandatory contributions, their efforts deserve to be applauded. The question remains, why are we not providing these vital individuals in our communities the compensation they deserve?
Wes Cottongim (Photo provided)
Our governor has repeatedly stated his support for an 11% raise for educators in the Commonwealth. Do educators deserve such a raise? Yes! Would educators be content with a reasonable/respectable raise that falls under the proposed 11% figure? Yes! The reality is, our state is sitting on the good fortune of having surplus revenues that we haven’t encountered in some time. It’s time (actually it’s past time) to appropriately fund our schools and educators. You will be hard pressed to find an educator that does not have to work a side job to make ends meet. These are individuals with one, two, possibly three college degrees that are encountering these struggles. Did I mention that most teachers fund the supplies in their classrooms themselves? Very few professions exist where the employee is required to provide the materials/tools they need to do their job out of their own pocket. Do doctors purchase their own scalpels, etc.? Does a custodian provide his/her own cleaning supplies? Do lawmakers purchase their own paper, pens, staplers, etc? These individuals are protecting, nurturing, guiding, correcting, sometimes feeding, sometimes clothing, and teaching our children. Yet, we aren’t able to make their salaries at least commensurate with surrounding states.
The Legislative Research Commission recently reported their findings of Research Report No. 486 to the Office of Education Accountability. This report focused on the dilemma of Kentucky public school employee staff shortage. The report found that at the beginning of the 2023 school year, 277 open teacher positions were posted on the Kentucky Educator Placement Service website (OEA, 2023). This is an increase of 260% that were posted and remained open at the start of the 2019 school year. An investment in our educators is an investment in our children. It’s hard to argue against doing what is best for our children.
The need for adequate school funding goes beyond teacher salaries. The current budget is proposing an 80% level of funding for pupil transportation. By the year 2026, this funding is planned to reach the 100% mark. That’s great! But shouldn’t we be funding the transportation of our students anyway? The need for revisiting the SEEK formula (the formula used to fund school districts) is long past due. Rural districts simply can’t compete with the salaries that larger districts can provide (albeit too low as well). In fact, classified staff earned approximately $9,000 less in rural districts than in more urban districts (OEA, 2023).
The Kentucky Association for School Superintendents is urging lawmakers in Frankfort to restore funding back to 2008 levels. Yes….2008 levels. The fact that funding for education in our state has dropped to the point that we are yearning for funding levels from sixteen years ago is a shame.
To put this in further perspective, the OEA report found that when classified employees leave their school positions for other work, they are earning as much as 115% more in the private sector (OEA, 2023). In fact, OEA compared average wages for classified staff in 2022 to those in similar positions in the private sector. Transportation workers in the private sector were found to earn 115% more than their school counterparts. Food service workers in the private sector earn 96% more; secretarial/clerical workers earned 31% more; operation workers earned 30% more.
Any parent wants their child to have the very best and brightest individual teaching them each day. In order for this to happen, we must invest in the educators themselves. Salary has always been a drawback of becoming an educator, but these individuals understand the impact that their work is having in our communities. I’ve heard the phrase, “they knew what they were signing up for.” Let me assure you, they weren’t signing up for the challenges they face each day. They simply want to teach and be able to support their families by doing so.
Will raising educator salaries 11% fix the educator/teacher shortage issue? No, but it will certainly slow down the mass exodus from the profession. Kentucky, we can do better.
Wes Cottongim is an assistant professor of education administraion in the School of Leadership and Professional Studies at Western Kentucky University.
