By Jacob Conde
Utah needs almost 80,000 teachers in the next 20 years to meet the needs of an increasing population.
The problem is, Utah probably can”t afford them.
Right now, Utah faces a monumental struggle in its education department. According to a study done by the University of Utah, enrollment in public schools is expected to increase by 49 percent throughout the state, over the next 20 years.
To meet this need, Utah will have to create 11,818 new teacher positions. In addition, the state will have to fill the void as the baby boomers enter their retirement years.
Given current trends and the expected increases in retirement, some 67,389 teaching jobs in Utah will become vacant in the next 20 years. This means 79,457 teachers will have to accept teaching posts in the next two decades.
Unfortunately, the state may not be able to meet this challenge.
Schools in Utah, already crowded, will have to deal with a large number of incoming students. Mark Peterson, the public relations director for the Utah State Office of Education, said one-fourth of all Utahns attend some form of public education, nearly 500,000 in a state with only 2 million residents.
He also said there are 21,636 teachers in the classroom at this time, with the average current classroom size being 24 students per teacher.
In addition to crowded schools, the average teacher”s salary is low in Utah: $37,414 versus the national average of $44,604.
Nick Eastmond, professor in the Department of Instructional Technology at USU, said the difference in salaries can be a major turn-off for potential teachers.
“I think one of the big questions is making teaching attractive enough to think, ”You know, I think that will be worth it,”” he said.
Eastmond, one of the professors that worked on the study, also said it”s difficult to retain teachers in the state, especially because some can increase their salary by crossing the state borders.
According to the National Education Association, teachers have higher average salaries in Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho and even Wyoming.
In addition to relatively lower salaries for teachers, Utah is dead last in the nation with pupil funding, with the state spending only $4,769 per student. The national average is $7,524 per student.
“I don”t know if we”re prepared to fund education adequately,” Eastmond said.
The shortage of teachers is aggravated because of a lack a students majoring in teaching in the state, limiting the supply of an already increased demand.
BYU used to have over 1,500 students per year receiving teaching degrees. This figure however, has dropped to about 900 students per year, less than that of the University of Utah. All told, the number of people attending college and majoring in some form of teaching is about 2,400 students per year.
In addition, many students who receive degrees choose not to teach, or to teach only until they have children. Many others at college in Utah come from out of the state and return home when finishing college.
Eastmond said this is especially true at private universities like BYU.
“You”d expect a higher mobility out of there,” he said.
