Saturday, March 24, 2001

Texas faces an acute shortage of teachers

AUSTIN - A recent study by the Institute for School-University Partnerships at Texas A&M University should be a call to action for Texans - especially for those with children in school.
   The study found that one-fourth of the 38,400 new teachers hired for the 2000-'01 school year in Texas were not fully certified in areas they were hired to teach. That doesn't mean they are unqualified to teach, but they aren't certified in the subject areas they are teaching.
   Most in demand are certified teachers in math, science, bilingual and elementary special education, according to the study. For example, 21 percent of the elementary bilingual teaching positions went unfilled this school year.
   That means the children who need the most help may be receiving the least. At the same time, the state is emphasizing tougher graduation requirements and a TAAS test that will include physics and geometry in 2003. If there aren't enough teachers or enough qualified teachers, how can we expect students to perform well on SAT and TAAS tests?
   Finding certified teachers isn't the only problem. Teacher shortages in general are a continuing problem facing Texas' public schools. This year, just two weeks before new teachers were to report for school, there were 300 vacancies in Dallas, 400 in Houston, 100 in Austin and 72 in Edinburg, according to the Texas State Teachers Association.
   Fewer teachers means crowded classrooms and less individual attention to students. It also leads to more difficult working conditions for teachers. But the real tragedy is that children won't receive the quality education they deserve.
   While teacher shortages are not new to Texas, the problem has been increasing and local, state and university leaders must work with teacher groups to find solutions.
   The aggressive lobbying efforts of several teachers' groups have put quality of life for teachers at the top of the agenda this legislative session. Several bills are aimed at making life better for teachers, such as creating a statewide health insurance plan for school employees, a teacher incentive pay plan and a mortgage-assistance program.
   But it's unclear whether lawmakers will pass any of them because money, or the lack of it, is guiding most decisions in the Legislature.
   Teacher groups have made health insurance their top priority this session, calling for an insurance plan similar to what state employees receive. But the estimated cost of a health plan ranges from $1 billion a year to $3 billion.
   Teachers say the health plan will help significantly in recruiting and retaining teachers and is a solution to the teacher shortage.
   Lawmakers have expressed sympathy for the teachers, but also acknowledge that the tight economy is not producing enough tax revenues to fund all requests and needs. Most lawmakers realize they need to pass some kind of health insurance plan for teachers, but it's clear that full funding is unlikely this session.
   "I think we will pass a teacher health plan, put it in place, and then we will determine how much money we can put into it," Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff said recently. "And the balance will be the responsibility of the school districts and/or the teachers and the school employees."
   While legislative efforts are important, the Texas A&M study also found that universities need to examine the way they teach students to teach. "The implication for Texas' teacher preparation programs is the universities and other teacher preparation programs must step up their efforts to prepare teachers,'' according to the study.
   Many universities are examining their programs - and they must continue to work with teacher groups and legislators to solve the growing problem of teacher shortages. The children of Texas deserve the best education and it's in everyone's best interest that they receive it.
  

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Ty Meighan is chief of the Scripps Howard Austin Bureau. You can reach him by phone at (512) 334-6640 or by email at meighant@scripps.com.

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