where's my teacher ?

 

 

Apart from the fact that a substitute teacher position in Arizona pays very well for not working very hard, another advantage is that the position offers a lot of job security. I literally could work every day of the school year if I wanted to – and I usually do.

Although teacher salaries have improved in recent years, teachers in Arizona historically have been on the low end of the pay scale compared to the pay in other states. Even after some pay increases, Arizona teachers are still in the bottom third of average teacher salaries.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/teacher-pay-by-state

The Arizona School Personnel Administrators Association says more than 130 school districts and charter schools responded to a survey they sent about staffing.

The data shows that 29.7% of teaching positions remain unfilled across the state. About 53.2% of the vacancies are filled by teachers who do not meet the state’s standard certification requirements.

https://www.abc15.com/news/local-news/new-data-shows-arizonas-teacher-shortage-worsening

Arizona, of course, is not the only state that is experiencing teacher shortages, but it IS one of the 10 worst states. The link below provides more information on the states that need improvement.

https://www.universities.com/education/states-with-the-highest-teacher-shortages

Not on the list – yet – is a state that is already be facing a teacher shortfall, and the current issue of “The Nation” tells us which one – and it is a direct result of the actions of the current governor, Ron DeSantis.

When he was sworn in as governor in 2019, there were 2217 teacher shortages in the state’s K-1 public schools. As he started his second term n 2023, the number had ballooned to 5294. This August, the number of unfilled positions had risen to 7000.

The policies of Ron DeSantis have resulted in a “brain drain” in the state. 91% of college-bound high school students disagree with his policies, as do 79% of currently enrolled college students. 13% of graduating seniors in Florida will not attend college in Florida due to his education policies.

The policies of Ron DeSantis have, and will, cost the state a lot of money.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2023/07/10/desantis-controversial-policies-spark-florida-convention-cancellations-as-tourism-shows-signs-of-slowing/?sh=3040aefcd5a9

A growing number of conventions and conferences are refusing to hold events in Florida in response to the state’s political climate, as Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and state lawmakers’ controversial policies involving LGBTQ rights and race have prompted a backlash that could hurt a key part of Florida's economy—adding to a broader slowdown in tourism sectors like theme parks.

At least five groups have canceled planned events in Orange County, where Orlando is located, or announced plans to hold them elsewhere, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

Game of Thrones convention Con of Thrones canceled its event due to “the increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation and atmosphere in Florida,” for instance, while the National Society of Black Engineers moved its 2024 convention from Orlando to Atlanta, saying the state’s political climate “seeks to undermine what we stand for.”

Tourism officials in Fort Lauderdale also report at least six organizations have pulled out of holding their events in Broward County, where the city is located, due to concerns about the state’s policies, local outlet 7News Miami reports.

Local officials projected to the Wall Street Journal the cancellations would cost the county’s economy more than $20 million, taking into account lost revenue from hotel bookings, transportation, food and other travel costs.

The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning moved its conference from Miami to Chicago, saying it would pay a “steep penalty” for moving the event but members had expressed “significant concerns” about holding the event in Florida, particularly in light of the state’s controversial educational policies targeting diversity initiatives.

 I’m a strong supporter of adequate funding for pubic schools and public libraries.

 According to the research that I have done, the states that spend the highest amount per student on public education also have the highest per capita income.

 Additionally, regardless of what it costs to fund public libraries, the cost is far less than the cost of public ignorance.

 You are probably familiar with the Carnegie libraries, since Andrew Carnegies established more that 2500 of them in the early years of the 20^th century.

 https://tohell-andback.blogspot.com/2022/09/save-libraries.html

 Part of the reason that teachers are leaving Florida are book bans, an idea that was very popular in Germany in the 1930’s.

 Texas has the most book bans of any state, at 801, but Florida is #2, with 566 books banned.

 https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/banned-books-by-state

PEN America’s new Index of School Book Bans provides a comprehensive list of books banned in the 2022-2023 school year.

PEN America found 3,362 instances of individual books banned, affecting 1,557 unique titles. This represents an increase of 33% from the 2021-22 school year. The bans occurred in 33 states, with Florida leading the nation, according to PEN America’s latest Banned in the USA report.

The 2022-2023 banned book list is a searchable index of each documented book ban in the school year. The Index lists instances where students’ access to books in school libraries and classrooms in the United States was restricted or diminished, for either limited or indefinite periods of time. Some of these bans have since been rescinded and some remain in place. More information about PEN America’s definition of school book bans can be found here.

You can read a comprehensive (but not complete) list at the link posted below. You won’t see Jodi Piccoult’s name on the list, but Florida has banned TWENTY of her books.

https://pen.org/2023-banned-book-list/

A teacher’s job is never easy, so they need all the support they can get, and that means fighting all the nonsense (bans on books and critical race theory etc.) that they have to contend with.