LEADERSHIP & LEARNING
MEA Members Share Reasons Behind Educator Shortages Several MEA members, including Michigan Teacher of the Year Leah Porter, testified in March at a hearing on the varied causes behind growing educator shortages before the Appropriations Subcommittee on School Aid and Department of Education. The subcommittee chaired by Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles) heard wide-ranging explanations for why educators are leaving the profession and not enough young people are completing preparation programs to replace them, including declining compensation, lack of respect, and inadequate resources. You can watch the full video of testimony from MEA and AFT Michigan members at tinyurl.com/ educatorstestify, and also step forward to add your voice! MEA is gathering more teacher perspectives to share with lawmakers on this subject. Go to mea.org/reasonsbehind-shortage and find the link to provide your thoughts, ideas and experiences in an easy-to-use form that will be submitted for the subcommittee’s review. Following are excerpts from MEA members’ testimony, lightly edited for space and clarity.
As Michigan Teacher of the Year this year, I have had the opportunity to visit many schools and speak with teachers across the state about their experiences over the last few years. This unique opportunity has left me in total awe at the incredible educators we have in Michigan. But what I have seen and heard is the current teaching environment has become endlessly exhausting with no relief in sight. For years, the educational system in Michigan could be seen as a cracking dam, years of neglect and under-funding stripping away at its strength. The pandemic has now caused this dam to break. And we’re going to see and feel the impact of decisions that have been made and are being made right now for years to come. It is heart-wrenching to know we have phenomenal educators across the state and many are feeling so overwhelmed and unheard and saying they don’t know how much longer that they can do this. School professionals are not OK. The challenges, stress, and pressure of this school year have far surpassed the previous pandemic teaching year in ways that were impossible to fathom last summer. While the past two years have had so many hurdles, the crisis in schools has been brewing for a long time. Years of funding cuts, loss of pension and affordable insurance, consolidation of staff, additional work responsibilities from absorbed positions, and the perpetual attacks on education systems have created the perfect storm we are now facing. Educators are resilient and creative problem solvers. They have been keeping this educational system afloat for years as it has been crumbling around them. Teachers don’t ask for much. They care tremendously for their students, and they are in this profession because they care about the future of not only the children in front of them but also those still to come. There has never been a more critical time to support educators. Respect them, trust them, recognize the very real challenges that those in schools are facing each day. Show educators you see and hear them through your actions, the expectations that you’re putting on educators, and through your support. The welfare of teachers depends on it. The structure of our school systems depend on it. And the children of Michigan deserve well-funded structures in which to learn and thrive.
Leah Porter
third-grade teacher Holt 16 years MEA VOICE
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