MILWAUKEE — As families across the U.S. prepare for a new school year, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) is facing one of its worst teacher shortages in recent years.
Lukas Wierer is a Milwaukee Public Schools teacher.
Going into his 16th year, Wierer teaches social studies at Riverside University High School and says this recent teacher shortage isn’t the first.
“But I think what makes this time unique is that it's starting to affect more people. It's starting to affect people outside of urban settings and as a result, it's becoming something we talk about,” said Wierer.
The head of the Black Educators Caucus, Angela Harris, says there are two ways the issue can be addressed, with creative solutions, as well as a more creative support system.
“We're seeing less and less folks entering into education programs, which means that we're going to have less folks graduating with teacher certifications, which means less teachers entering the classroom but also we're seeing a mass exodus of teachers because they are overworked, underpaid and burnt out,” said Harris.
According to a report released this year by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, data taken from 2021 showed the state had a 67 percent retention rate for teachers in the first five years.
This means that only about two-thirds of newly licensed educators stay teaching after their first half-decade on the job.
Both Weirer and Harris say this can be seen at many levels.
“When you look at some of the research, teacher shortages impact communities that are typically dealing with multiple marginalized identities, especially predominantly Black communities experience a teacher shortage at levels that you don't see in most other communities,” said Wierer.
“The pandemic added a layer of responsibility that I think that a lot of teachers were not ready for and didn't have the support to deal with,” said Harris. “And so, young people who are thinking about what they want to do with their future, are seeing all of this happen and saying to themselves, why would I go to school to be a teacher?”
While Weirer says there isn’t a straightforward answer, he does keep one thing in mind when he enters the classroom.
“I need to listen to my students because if I just try to impose things, that's not going to go well. Our kids are too smart and they know where they stand. They know that that they have value, they know that their voice needs to be heard,” said Wierer.
TMJ4 reached out to MPS for comment and is waiting to hear back.
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