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Education Dive
School reopenings leave educators in high-risk groups with difficult choice over return
Shawna De La Rosa
May 12, 2020
Dive Brief:
Schools may face staffing shortages when they reopen as teachers at
higher risk for severe illness weigh whether to return to the classroom
before a coronavirus vaccine is available, Chalkbeat reports.
States are beginning to outline reopening plans, despite a lack of
testing and growing evidence children transmit coronavirus, and unions
including the American Federation of Teachers and the National
Education Association have raised the possibility of a strike if school
reopenings run counter to advice from medical experts or lack safety
measures.
More than 18% of teachers in the U.S. and 27% of principals are over
the age of 65, according to an American Enterprise Institute report,
which relies on federal data from 2017-18. The AEI, a right-leaning
think tank, recommends schools offer early retirement incentives and
create online roles for teachers and principals who must stay home due
to health risks.
Dive Insight:
Typically, districts try to hang on to staff during recessions. That
will likely be difficult now, due to health and safety concerns of
older teachers. Many districts will likely have to implement hiring
freezes due to lost funds from the economic fallout. Districts that
receive a larger portion of funding from states will be more affected
than those with strong property tax bases.
Some have suggested the national education system could soon experience
what New Orleans faced after Hurricane Katrina. Following the storm,
teachers were laid off for four months. By the time school reopened in
the fall, only a third remained in New Orleans schools, while another
18% found jobs in other districts.
Linda Darling-Hammond, president and CEO of the Learning Policy
Institute and president of the California Board of Education, predicts
districts will hire fewer teachers to replace the ones that are lost,
driving up class sizes. However, more people may be drawn to the
teaching profession, which may be attractive as a more stable
profession.
Some are also optimistic that teacher candidates will be well-prepared
for the new challenges of remote learning. In Arizona, for example, the
state has 533 teacher candidates who are set to complete their teacher
preparation programs this month. These student teachers continued their
training during school closures, gaining valuable experience in
teaching online.
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