Teachers in high demand - shortage reported in public and parochial schools

National Catholic Reporter, March 26, 1999 by Heidi Schlumpf

Rising school-age population, drop in education majors leaves schools facing shortages

As part of its unique work/study curriculum, Christo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago requires students to spend one day a week working in clerical, data processing or light assembly jobs. But the school never expected that some students would end up as "employees" in its own classrooms.

When faced with the challenge of replacing a Spanish teacher while she was on a three-week maternity leave, one solution that surfaced was to have seniors teach underclassmen. The arrangement worked so well, it was continued even after the new mother returned to the classroom.

"This makes the seniors feel needed and helps build their leadership and speaking skills," said Nancy Castro, senior Spanish teacher.

Partly because of its unique mission, Christo Rey was able to make lemonade when faced with the sour reality of the teacher shortage currently plaguing both public and parochial schools. The U.S. Department of Education estimates that 222,000 new teachers a year will be needed over the next several years to meet shortages caused by both rising enrollment and the declining number of education graduates. The result is increasingly a seller's market for teachers, with Catholic and public schools sometimes finding themselves in direct competition to fill spots.

That has been the reality in California over the past couple of years, as an initiative of former Gov. Pete Wilson to reduce class size in the lower grades put pressure on public school districts to quickly hire new teachers. Lured by significantly higher salaries, some Catholic school teachers moved into the public system, leading some to charge public schools with "poaching."

Whatever the cause, educational experts say all types of schools will face increased pressure over the next several years to attract and retain qualified teachers.

Across the country, Catholic schools are finding creative ways to fill empty positions. Some dioceses are working with volunteer programs, like the Inner-City Teaching Corps, and considering creative scheduling or job-sharing. In Detroit, some principals are spending a few hours a day in the classroom, retired teachers are being asked to come back and non-Catholic candidates are being accepted, except to teach religion.

In the public system, many states are looking at alternative certification models so business people can more easily move into teaching as a second career. Some dioceses also are stepping up their recruitment efforts. But most Catholic schools don't have the resources to do what the state of Massachusetts recently announced: offer signing bonuses of up to $20,000 for new teachers willing to teach for four years in low-income public schools.

Even if they could, signing bonuses don't get at the true motivation for teaching in Catholic schools, said Claire Helm, director of the Office of Leadership Development for the National Catholic Educational Association. "It will probably attract folks, but we're interested in the long-term commitment of great teachers who want to make a difference," she said. "Teachers don't typically get into this field for the money."

Still, Helm admits that the salary issue is a valid one. Because of their traditionally lower salaries, Catholic schools face an extra hurdle in recruiting teachers. For example, starting pay for teachers in the Chicago archdiocese is $20,350, while their public school counterparts often start at $32,000 or more, according to Dominican Sr. Georgia Luznicky, director of school personnel.

"We have to pay these people for the service they're providing," said Dominican Sr. Frances Nadolny, superintendent of schools for the Detroit archdiocese, where a task force has made recommendations about raising Catholic school teacher salaries. "While it's a ministry, these very dedicated teachers need to make enough money to support themselves and their families," she said.

But the teacher shortage trend cuts across public/private lines. Many education graduates in Michigan are being wooed by other states, Nadolny said. In fact, the public school system in Detroit is considering offering signing bonuses for new teachers.

In today's strong economy, nearly a third of education graduates are choosing not to teach because of low salaries. "Unfortunately, 10 or 15 years ago there was a teacher glut, and lots of young people were discouraged from going into teaching because there weren't jobs," said Elaine Schuster, superintendent of schools for the Chicago archdiocese. "Now we're on the other side of it, and it's a real dilemma," she said.

Compounding the shortage of qualified graduates is a demographic "baby bubble," which has resulted in higher enrollments, especially in preschool, kindergarten and primary grades, Schuster said. The Chicago archdiocesan Office for Catechesis also reports a similar trend, with enrollment in parish religious education programs jumping 6 percent last year.

Given such trends, Schuster said she notices more "poaching" going on: Public school districts -- who have long seen Catholic schools as fertile soil for qualified teachers -- are recruiting Catholic school teachers and luring them away as late as Labor Day, leaving Catholic school principals high and dry just as students return from summer vacation.