Posted on: Friday, August 23, 2002

Island Voices
Address shortage of teachers

Randy Hitz is dean of the College of Education at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Hawai'i is experiencing a severe teacher shortage in both public and independent schools.

In 2000-2001, the Hawai'i Department of Education alone hired nearly 1,500 new teachers, while all of the teacher-education programs in Hawai'i combined produced fewer than 700 teachers. Recruiting teachers from the Mainland is necessary but extremely difficult given, among other things, Hawai'i's geographic isolation, poor teacher salaries and the general shortage of teachers throughout the nation.

To address the teacher shortage, we must increase the production of teachers in Hawai'i. The College of Education is attempting to do this by offering a variety of alternative routes to licensure, including traditional four-year programs, as well as one-year post-baccalaureate options and master's degree programs for individuals with baccalaureate degrees outside the field of education.

The college is also offering programs throughout the state, including West Hawai'i, the Leeward Coast of O'ahu, Maui and Kaua'i. Capacity of the college to produce teachers is limited, however, by the number of its faculty. Like other units of the university and the state government, the college's budget has been reduced in recent years, thus further limiting our ability to graduate more teachers.

The teacher shortage must also be addressed by reducing teacher turnover. On average, approximately 300 teachers voluntarily leave their DOE positions each year for reasons other than retirement, termination or death. According to a 2000 study by the Hawai'i Educational Policy Center, 40 percent of these individuals report dissatisfaction with the teaching profession.

While this level of dissatisfaction on the part of so many teachers is cause for concern, it also indicates an opportunity for Hawai'i. According to center researchers, a substantial portion of the teachers leaving the DOE might be encouraged to stay in their DOE positions. Better salaries are a necessity. But, so too are better working conditions, including smaller class sizes, mentoring and other support for beginning teachers, professional development opportunities for experienced teachers, and time and financial support for teachers to earn advanced degrees.

Investing in teachers improves education and it has potential to save money by reducing teacher turnover. According to another recent study by the center, teacher turnover costs the state Department of Education alone anywhere from $4 million to $29 million, depending on which model for turnover costs is used. The state loses additionally on its investment in the education of these teachers. It costs the state approximately $1.8 million for every 100 teachers prepared at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Improving working conditions and professional development as noted above could substantially reduce turnover costs, which include those related to hiring, training and lost productivity. Much of the money the state spends to hire new teachers and train them could be better spent in programs to retain teachers. Turnover costs are not totally avoidable, but they can be minimized.

Supporting teachers will reduce teacher turnover and create efficiency in the system, but the costs of teacher turnover include more than money. The greatest costs lie in the damage to the quality of education Hawai'i students receive.

When teachers leave, they take with them experience and expertise that add value to the educational experiences of their students. Novice teachers, no matter how well prepared, still learn a lot in their first few years of teaching. Experience in teaching as in other professionals adds tremendously to the individual's effectiveness. Students pay an immeasurable price when they lose well-qualified and experienced teachers.

So often we hear that education should be run more as a business. While this is simplistic, there is some measure of wisdom in it. Successful businesses that depend on a well-educated workforce invest in their employees. They pay them well, help them grow professionally and provide high-quality working environments. Doing so improves employee morale, loyalty, productivity and profits.