NORFOLK, Va. — Fewer people want the job, and more are resigning or retiring.
You have likely heard about the ongoing teacher shortage at schools across America, including here in Hampton Roads – the issue was building before the COVID-19 pandemic.
But new research from labor market think tank, ADP Research Institute, shows a rebound is nowhere in sight.
The ADP Research Institute found openings for educators have increased dramatically since 2021, but employment levels haven’t changed much.
That means, despite plenty of opportunities for potential teachers, supply remains far behind demand.
A top critical shortage area is elementary schools.
One of the contributing factors to the teacher shortage continues to be the pay gap.
Teachers make 8 percent less than the average for all U.S. workers - a gap that was only 3 percent in 2018.
"Year after year there are more and more positions that are not being filled. They truly need to step up and do something to give educators a livable wage so they are coming into the education field and staying in the education field,” said Heather Sipe from the Virginia Beach Education Association in September 2023.
But state lawmakers wrapped up their 60-day legislative session over the weekend after approving a two-year budget that includes teacher pay raises in Virginia.
The raises will close the national pay gap by offering educators 3 percent raises over the two years covered in the budget.
It’s something that could put a bandage over the teacher shortage in the short term.
The national average for public school teacher salaries is more than $66,000 a year, according to the National Education Association. In Virginia, that average sits at just over $61,000.