HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The teach shortage in Kentucky isn't getting any better, according to a recent report by the state's Office of Education Accountability.
In the wake of the increasing shortage, lawmakers are working to find solutions with House Bill 377.
The legislation follows the release of state data that found 10.9% of teachers left the teaching profession in Kentucky during the 2023 school year.
The bill includes efforts to reduce the financial burden for students working to enter the education profession. Currently, student teachers don’t get paid.
“You cannot hold a Monday through Friday, you know, typical job,” said Eileen Shanahan, department chair of the College of Education at Northern Kentucky University. “And so, so many of our students teach all day every day, and then they work part time jobs in the evenings or the weekends to make ends meet.”
If the bill passes, student teachers would get paid a stipend.
“16 weeks, you're not supposed to work. So that's a very antiquated way to get teachers in the pipeline,” said State Representative Kim Banta, lead sponsor of the bill. “I mean, most people can't go 16 weeks without working. What are you supposed to live on?”
Education students in the Commonwealth would receive up to $5,000 per semester of student teaching.
The state data also revealed 93.5% of superintendents in Kentucky reported a lack of qualified candidates was an extreme or moderate barrier to teacher recruitment.
“I think that’s why we have to keep doing things to make teaching attractive again,” Banta said.
Legislators say finances are a concern for teachers just starting out.
According to state data, the highest starting pay in 2023 for a teacher was $45,772.
While Banta says HB 377 addresses financial burdens, it doesn't solve everything.
“I think that when I speak to people that have decided to leave the teaching profession, many times it is student behavior,” she said. “And basically, it's man's unkindness to man. I mean, it’s a lot of disrespect.”
Shanahan does believe the bill is a solid start.
“I think this is absolutely a step in the right direction," she said. "It's the attention on the need to support this field. To support educators in all that, that and all that that is.”
Banta said the bill is out of the house and currently in the senate.
