me arts ed

Support – what is the action?

For years now the teacher shortage has been a problem. In the 1980’s and 90’s it was centered around the number of teachers who would be of retirement age. The statistics were clear; ages of teachers and their years teaching is tracked. Awareness of the problem was at every level; local school districts, the state department of education, higher education institutions, and at the federal department of education. The information was presented to teachers and business leaders at conferences; I heard the message loud and clear in 1995. When the age of STEM education came about the focus was on the shortage of math and science teachers. The shortage of special education teachers has been on the radar for many years. Fast forward to the pandemic and the stresses that teachers were and continue to be facing impacts the number of available teachers and support staff.

As we know this is not a ‘Maine only’ problem but a nation wide issue. A report from National Public Radio in the fall of 2022 combines information collected from 70 educators and experts from across the country surfaced three major contributors to the shortage: low pay, a strong economy, bitter politics and pandemic burnout. In addition to these three major findings the plans needed to positively impact this problem must coincide with the specific and unique needs in each school districts. In rural Maine the problems are different than in the areas of Maine where the population is greater.

In the Maine Sunday Telegram this past weekend a piece written by Lana Cohen focuses on the shortage as Maine teachers and learners return to school. Some positions are more difficult to fill than others. This has always been the case. Everyone agrees that the shortage is a huge problem and leaders from our state education organizations are quoted in the article. READ the ARTICLE

The conversations continue (talk, talk, talk,) and I understand that our higher ed institutions and the department of education are ‘working’ on the problem. These organizations and others like them seem to do an outstanding job of collecting information, identifying needs, and name who they’re working with on the problem. Sometimes money is being thrown at ‘programs’ but I don’t see much evidence of the impact.

I found one new program being launched on September 14 by Eastern Maine Community College. It is available for support staff only, not full teaching staff. There is no cost to the program and allows trainees to work as supervised support staff in PreK-12 classrooms this year. This program has space for 180 people. LEARN MORE. I see mention of ‘Teach Maine’ and ‘Live and Work in Maine’ that lead me to believe they are addressing the teacher shortage in Maine but when I try to find specific information to learn how they’re helping I don’t see any evidence. If anyone knows of programs that are actually focused on the action part of the teacher shortage I’m interested in learning about them. Please email me meartsed@gmail.com.

Colleagues say: “You know Argy, things move slowly through the system, education is always behind”. Many of you know that after teaching for many years I went to work at the state. After seven years at the Maine Department of Education and six years at the Maine Arts Commission I understand perfectly that there are mountains to climb. I believe that it is the responsibility of our leaders to climb the mountains. Some of our best work in Maine arts education was not accomplished by sitting at a table talking about the issues but it was in planning and implementing an initiative which was filled with action, every step of the way. The impact of that program continues to be felt. (Maine Arts Assessment Initiative morphed into the Maine Arts Leadership Initiative).

I’m very concerned about the teacher shortage in Maine when I hear stories. Some school districts are hiring people who are not certified to teach Art or Music. Dance and Theater courses are still unavailable in schools across the state. Last year one school had students attending school every other day to provide instruction to all students. The substitute shortage is causing other teachers to cover multiple classes.

I know what you’re thinking, I’m just talking as well. This is not a problem that can be solved by one person alone, it will take strong commitments and collaborations. My suggestions include:

• Commissioner Pender Makin had a conversation during the 2022-23 school year with Maine county and state teachers of the year to brainstorm ideas to help address the problem. Take action on some of the suggestions and enlist teacher leaders to help implement the ideas.
• As a follow up to the meeting I had the opportunity to introduce an amazing educator from Kenya to Commissioner Makin. He was visiting the US for a month in the spring and I was very grateful that we had 30 minutes with the commissioner. We proposed bringing teachers from Kenya to help address the teacher shortage. It has been four months and the certification office is creating unnecessary mountains. The idea is not new, there is precedent. For years the Maine DOE has had Memorandums of Education in place with other countries.
• My local school district used federal funds to create a new salary scale to address the challenge of finding substitutes. The pay was based on teaching experience and formal education. It was the first time that I have been compensated fairly for my experience and knowledge. The number of substitutes immediately grew. Problem solved! The next school year the pay scale shifted (without Covid funds) but was still greater than other districts. Makes me wonder why other school districts didn’t consider raising the pay for substitutes?
• A round table discussion where organizations and Maine leaders leave their egos and politics at the door and are not allowed to exit the conversation until action steps, and whose responsible for those actions steps, are named.

Why is teacher shortage so important to all Maine residents? Our education system contributes greatly to our future and the quality of life for our citizens; all of them, not just some! If we want our young people to receive an excellent education so they can grow into adults who are positive and contributing to their communities in a productive manner, we need to insure that each learner receives the education that they deserve! We need to recognize who each individual is and provide them access to an education that is inclusive of curriculum and programs that address each learners needs in all ways. It’s past time to work together to help alleviate this challenge!