JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Low pay, better career opportunities and burn out are forcing teachers to move out of Mississippi or to look for an entirely new job. With another school year fast approaching, Mississippi is still facing an extreme teacher shortage with no end in sight.
WJTV 12 New spoke with Mississippi Association of Educators president Erica Jones as to why this is happening and to see which parts of Mississippi’s education are suffering the most.
“I’ve had an opportunity to travel across the state and talk with different educators and some of the main reasons that they have given me for leaving the profession is low pay, better career opportunities as well as burn out,” said Jones.
Jones continued, “I am a second grade teacher, and I do know that there are vacancies across the state in not only elementary but middle school as well. Not only our subject areas, but it seems as if all of our areas of education are impacted by the teacher shortage.”
According to the Department of Education, Mississippi is facing a shortage of teachers in World Languages, Special Education, Science and Mathematics among grades Pre-K through 12th grade.