NORFOLK, Va. — A new state-commissioned report reveals financial barriers to education funding, beyond teacher salaries and pay.
In a new report from staff of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, Virginia teachers face gaps in paying for the education experience that will help them succeed in the field.
According to responding school divisions surveyed by JLARC researchers, divisions noted that teachers who received an education degree through traditional preparation programs fared far better in classroom readiness than teachers who pursued alternative avenues through a provisional license process or career switch program.
Researchers found that 55% of traditional preparation program teachers are "well prepared" or "very well prepared", compared to just 4% for provisional license recipients and 23% for career switch programs.
The JLARC report concludes that while traditional preparation programs yield better results for prospective teachers, there are barriers to gaining that knowledge and experience.
"The cost of tuition fees individuals have to pay can be pretty pricey for people going through traditional programs. The required tests and assessments, and people have to take them multiple times. Plus unpaid student teaching," Lauren Axselle told 13News Now, who is the Principal Legislative Analyst for JLARC.
Compared to neighboring states, funding also falls short among education scholarships helping alleviate the cost of those traditional preparation programs.
The report found the Virginia Teaching Scholarship and Loan Program accounted for roughly $700,000 in scholarship funding to roughly 70 recipients, with amounts up to $10,000 per person. JLARC's research found that comparable programs in North Carolina and Maryland accounted for $6 million and $8 million, respectively.
Researchers also surveyed individuals with a teaching license in Virginia but were not a part of a school division. They found that the number one reason for teacher departures among the survey respondents cited being unhappy at work, with the two highest reasons being they felt unsupported and had too high workloads.
The new report also found:
- Divisions with large populations of Black students have higher teacher vacancy rates
- Virginia Communication and Literacy Assessment (VCLA) is a Virginia-specific test that may be an obstacle for some individuals
- Individuals with education degrees tend to earn less over their careers than professionals with similar levels of education in other fields
The full report and its recommendations can be viewed here.