Here & Now

Wisconsin Struggles to ‘Pay Teachers What They’re Worth’

Frederica Freyberg:
Wisconsin is in the midst of a critical shortage of teachers. Most especially in rural districts. The most recent stats on the shortage show that in 2017, there was a net loss of 1600 teachers in the state. That’s the difference between the number coming in to the profession and the number leaving it. In tonight’s closer look, a new proposal to try to remedy the lack of teachers that has one district administrator giving it the thumbs up. Julie Sprague leads the Antigo schools, a rural district in north central Wisconsin, and thanks very much for joining us.

Julie Sprague:
You’re welcome. I’m happy to be here.

Frederica Freyberg:
So a proposal in Governor Evers’ budget would allow you to hire retired teachers who could maintain their pensions and come back to the classroom. Do you feel like you would get a lot of takers on that?

Julie Sprague:
Well, I would hope we’d get some takers. I really believe that the best candidate should get the position, and if they’re hard to fill positions and we have retired educators interested, I would love for them to apply.

Frederica Freyberg:
Now you have described needing to fill more than a quarter of teaching positions in a year. Why so many?

Julie Sprague:
Well, I think it’s a number of reasons. You know, we lost, as you already mentioned, teaching candidates really across the nation, and with that, rural districts, like others, have difficulty paying teachers what they are really worth. And that and combined with wanting teachers to settle in a community, it has to be a community that’s right for their family. So I think really it’s a combination of factors.

Frederica Freyberg:
When you post a job for a teaching vacancy, how many applicants do you get?

Julie Sprague:
Well I can tell you, in the early 90s, we would have hundreds. However, that’s really significantly changed. We’re lucky to have about 10 for I would say a standard classroom position. There are harder to fill areas like special education and technical education and world languages.

Frederica Freyberg:
So that is just a giant difference from the early 90s. Hundreds to maybe 10. You talked a little bit in your previous answer about the difficulty perhaps of having people wanting to move to a rural location to raise their families, but what else is resulting in that kind of trend change?

Julie Sprague:
Well, I think the perception of teaching really took a hit after Act 10, but I firmly believe and I know many others agree with me that there’s no more noble profession than teaching. So those who give themselves to children and helping children fulfill their potential often don’t do it for the money. So really, it’s about finding the best candidate, the best fit, and hopefully offering our children what they deserve.

Frederica Freyberg:
Has your district had to extend emergency licenses to get teachers? Those licenses are given if a fully accredited teacher can’t be found in a hiring search?

Julie Sprague:
We have. The state actually has been accommodating with the teacher shortage and so we do offer provisional license. There are CESAs, our educational partners who have programs that welcome those with associate’s degrees or bachelor’s degrees from the private sector and they can train them then to earn a teaching license. So that’s really helped as well.

Frederica Freyberg:
Now is teacher pay in your district competitive with other districts? I know you spoke to the idea that teacher pay kind of everywhere is depressed, but what about your district compared to other districts? Because I understand teachers are now able and do kind of district-hop.

Julie Sprague:
They do. And it’s really a free market. So I would say we are as competitive as we can be right now, but our district certainly is not where we want to be.

Frederica Freyberg:
Do you end up kind of losing staff in that way where they get better offers, you know, across district lines?

Julie Sprague:
Yes, sometimes, but I wouldn’t say it’s terribly common yet. I know we’ve lost a few certainly, but again, we’re hoping that the complete package and what our district offers and the fulfillment one gets transcends within reason beyond the salary.

Frederica Freyberg:
As to allowing teachers to so called double dip, that is taking a pension and working in retirement, some lawmakers who passed that prohibition against it in 2013 say if you’re not retired anymore, you shouldn’t be collecting your retirement benefit. What’s your response to that?

Julie Sprague:
Well, I may have agreed at one point, before we had a teacher shortage. But if you have a candidate who’s willing to come in to a classroom and share expertise and effectiveness with students and that person is the best candidate, then I think we can no longer afford to turn our backs on so called double dipping.

Frederica Freyberg:
How does the shortage affect the education of students in your district and others?

Julie Sprague:
That’s just it. We do everything we can so that it does not adversely affect those kids. And I would say in general, we’re doing okay. I strongly believe that we have to put the best candidate in the classroom, and sometimes there’s not a lot of time to find that person. We have crises all the time with substitutes and others where we need a person in front of those kids not only to keep them safe and supervised but hopefully provide that facilitation that helps them grow as well.

Frederica Freyberg:
Julie Sprague, thanks very much for joining us from Wausau.

Julie Sprague:
Thank you. I appreciate it. My pleasure.