Gov. Greg Abbott is directing the to set up a task force to help address a years-long teacher shortage in the state that has only gotten worse during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group will look at the root causes of staffing shortages and consider policy changes to attract and retain educators.
鈥淭his task force should investigate the challenges teacher vacancies are causing for school districts, explore best practices for addressing this shortage, and research the possibility for flexibility of certification, placement, and hiring,鈥� wrote Gov. Abbott in his to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath.
spokesperson, Clay Robison, said he welcomes the governor鈥檚 new initiative to address a problem that鈥檚 existed for many years.
鈥淎nd a lot of that is turnover in beginning teachers,鈥� Robison said. 鈥淓ven before the pandemic, you take any given year you have X number of teachers who start their careers in Texas, within five years, half of them are gone because the pay is just not keeping up鈥� he said.
Robison said it is important for classroom teachers to be included on the task force.
鈥淚'm not talking about private school consultants; I'm not talking about charter school operators; I'm talking about teachers, and [Governor Abbott] actually needs to listen to the teachers."
Robison added that increasing teacher pay would be the most obvious and effective way to solve Texas' teacher shortage. A National Education Association from April 2021 found teacher pay in Texas was roughly $7,000 dollars below the U.S. average.
Robison accused Abbott of exacerbating the teacher shortage during the pandemic by banning school districts from requiring face coverings.
鈥淭he governor couldn鈥檛 see fit to improve the safety of teachers and students in classrooms by allowing schools to issue mask mandates,鈥� he said.
Abbott and fellow Texas Republicans are also driving away teachers for political gain, said Robison, by perpetuating misleading claims about schools exposing students to inappropriate curricula and materials.
鈥淗e cannot keep attacking teachers,鈥� said Robison. 鈥淗e cannot keep leveling these unfounded accusations about pornography in public schools. He cannot continue to threaten to ban books, particularly books dealing with race relations and LGBTQ issues 鈥� books dealing with diversity.鈥�
The TEA task force will eventually issue recommendations for regulatory and other policy changes at the agency to help address the teacher shortage.
