Young
Teachers Reported by Statewide correspondent, Perry
Stoner.
[Candace
Cain] "First of all, welcome this morning. And let me take attendance real
quick."
Its February and the start of another class at Pound Junior High in Lincoln.
[Cain]
"Where did we last leave off? Does anyone remember?"
It also marks the beginning of a teaching career for Candace Cain. [Cain]
"My mother… she's told me stories of how when I was very little I would line
all my teddy bears up on the front porch. Get little books and play school with
them. So obviously I think there's always been something in me that's wanted
to teach."
While Cain completes her final semester at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln,
she's student teaching and getting ready for that first job. She wants to teach
in a place like her hometown of Burwell. But isn't set on staying in Nebraska.
She is considering other states where she could get a higher salary. [Cain]
"I'm hoping really the Nebraska Legislature and other things will… hopefully
will be addressing that as an issue so that people who do live in small towns
don't have to pay the price to live in small towns. Instead of just, you know,
paying someone a salary." [Randy
Kreifel] "You've been working on your holder, wedge and bearing drawings."
Randy Kreifel is a non-traditional college student, also in his final semester
at UNL, student teaching at Lincoln High. [Kreifel]
"I grew up here in Lincoln and I've had a wide range of job experiences. I was
a professional truck driver in my early twenties, and I drove a truck for several
years."
Randy had a higher salary in another profession, but now he wants a career in
teaching. Money isn't his priority in finding a teaching job, but he doesn't
expect to stay in Nebraska. [Kreifel]
"There are some things that I would rather teach than other things. And so that's
a big factor. Its going to depend on the school district and the reputation
the school district has. "Unfortunately
in Nebraska the salaries are so low that the other considerations really don't
make up for that." [Sen.
Doug Christensen] "The message is very, very clear. We have very good schools
in the state of Nebraska, but our work is not finished. We have every reason
to be proud of the public schools in the state of Nebraska, and yet we have
work yet to do."
The news wasn't that surprising when the state's first education report card
came out last year. The report recognized teachers' role in the success of students.
But with fewer young people entering the field, the next state report card may
have a different grade. [Sen.
Christensen] "We're seeing in some of our small schools they can't even
get an applicant for a Math teacher. That they have an English teacher who happened
to have a Math minor now teaching Math classes. And you know, the degree to
which that becomes widespread throughout the state, it eventually will show
up in how well that our kids do on achievements tests, or ACT results." [Commercial
narrator] "Nebraska schools currently rank in the top ten states for academics.
But for how long? We're losing our teachers to other states who…"
The Nebraska State Education Association represents teachers in Nebraska. It
has spent one hundred fifty thousand dollars on an ad campaign with a very direct
message for state legislators and citizens. [Commercial
narrator] "Tell them to keep our education system strong by paying…"
The NSEA says it has a solution to the problem. [Duane
Obermier] "I can sum that up in one word. It starts with an m and its money.
We're 45th in the nation. We just dropped from 44th to 45 by the way. And young
people need money. Many of them are probably contemplating marriage or are early
in a marriage. They need money for all sorts of things."
Teachers, taxpayers, and elected officials studied the issue last year. The
group recommended extensive salary, benefits and programs to attract new teachers
and keep the veterans. State senators shaped the report into legislation. [Sen.
Ron Raikes] "The one we advanced from committee in broad terms is one that
we think is a complete address of the problem. It's one that we think is modes,
moderate, not extravagant. And we think its one that's responsible."
Governor Mike Johanns opposes an effort to raise sales tax or any other tax
for teacher salaries. He says his budget meets the needs of education. [Gov.
Mike Johanns] "Over the next two years special education and direct funding
to school districts will increase by two hundred million dollars. We will grow
that budget by twenty percent."
When the governor talked to college students about their careers, he explained
that school districts deciding how to spend education money is part of a long-standing
Nebraska tradition of local control of education. [Gov.
Johanns] "But some school districts in the state teachers are paid well
above the national average. Well above the national average. Teachers have been
made a priority in those districts. In other districts they are paid below the
national average, maybe not because teachers aren't a priority, maybe because
they just didn't want to raise their property taxes any more." [Sen.
Christensen] "I know how controversial this is, but my personal philosophy
is that you have to set a minimum state salary. It just has to be done because
I've been in communities where when you negotiate teachers' salaries that people
on the street get mad because they say, well nobody else in town makes that
kind of money." [Cain]
"I've just been dropping off my resumes to a few different school districts."
The soon-to-be teachers are now a few weeks away from graduating. Candace Cain
shifts her job search into high gear. At the annual education recruitment day
on the University of Nebraska campus in Lincoln, the students get a chance to
show their credentials to schools looking for teachers. [Dave
Gordon] "Hopefully our base will be $25,000."
The event is a way for the new teachers and school administrators to get to
know each other. And may directly lead to job offers. This used to be a buyers'
market. [Gordon]
"I'm hunting for teachers. And the key work is what I said, hunt. Because that's
what it's all about right now in Nebraska is hunting. I think the economy has
changed over the years and I think that students have found that… that other
jobs pay better. There's quality people out there but not in the same numbers
as in the past."
Over one hundred school districts descend on campus looking for teachers. Close
to half of those are from out of state. Those schools make a point of letting
the new teachers know how much they can make if they leave Nebraska. [School
Representative] "Our starting salary is $31,000." [Tim
Foist] "There's going to be an exodus and you… you're going to have to pay
them more and you're going to have to find a way to do it."
Tim Foist was an administrator at schools in Nebraska. Then he heard what was
happening in Arizona and moved. Now he's a superintendent there and paying his
teachers a lot more. [Foist]
"They put eight hundred million dollars this year into education. It increased
teachers' salaries anywhere form five to eight thousand dollars depending on
the district." [Kreifel]
"Hi, I'm Randy Kreifel."
Randy Kreifel has been weighing his options. Going into industrial technology,
he's in even high demand. [Kreifel]
"About two weeks ago I sent out a number of resumes to school districts that
I had done some research on and was interested in looking at. And every single
district either phoned or emailed or sent me a letter. The response was impressive.
It was obvious that they were in desperate need of teachers, especially in my
field."
But he's found that those higher salaries in other states often aren't that
much better when you consider the cost of living. The day before the recruitment
event, a Nebraska district courted him. And now it appears that will be the
best fit. [Kreifel]
"At this point the one out of state position that I'm looking at would have
to be really, really impressive for me to not stay here now. Which is a total
turnaround from where I was a couple of months ago."
Candy is listening to some out of state schools, just to see what they have
to offer. [Cain]
"I have one school district which is an out of state one basically offer me
a contract today if I wanted to go and teach there, which is just like… oh,
my gosh! "I've
already talked to Columbus, Lexington…"
She's adjusted her search within Nebraska as well. The small town setting she
wanted is less likely now. They just don't pay enough. [Cain]
"But then also I did have a chance to interview with a lot of Nebraska schools,
you know, from very small towns to larger towns. For example, like the size
of Columbus. And if anything, I've seen that I'm becoming more and more open
maybe to a larger school district just because of maybe the opportunities they'll
offer me as a first year teacher. Yes in regards to salary, but in regards also
to opportunities of things that I can teach."
Last year 37 percent of Nebraska Teacher College graduates went into Nebraska
classrooms. The rest left the state or went into another profession. They left
for higher salaries or things like loan forgiveness incentives. Not everyone
is taking part in the exodus. Cain and Kreifel have found good situations for
them in their home state. Many of their classmates won't be staying though.
With about one thousand Nebraska teachers retiring every year, replacing them
will be a challenge, even if the state or local school districts raise salaries.
Young
Teachers
