New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy heads to White House to address teacher shortage ahead of back-to-school
NEW YORK -- New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is headed to the White House in hopes of finding a solution to a teacher shortage in the state.
His visit comes as schools across New Jersey are just days away from reopening.
Murphy says he does not have exact data just yet on how bad the shortage is. But we do know it's not just an issue in the Garden State. Other areas across the country are dealing with the crisis, as well.
In just a few weeks, the classrooms of most New Jersey school will fill back up with students ready for another year. But something important may be missing -- teachers.
"We need more," Murphy said Tuesday.
The governor said the state is dealing with a shortage of educators, blaming it on his Republican predecessor former Gov. Chris Christie's often troublesome relationship with teachers and on the coronavirus pandemic.
Nationwide, government figures show about 300,000 teachers have left the education workforce since February 2020 when the pandemic began.
Now, Murphy plans to meet with the federal government to figure out a solution for his state.
"For the sole purpose of brainstorming on how to get more teachers into the pipeline," he said.
As he heads to the country's capitol, he's leaving behind a vital education bill on his desk, waiting to be signed. It would streamline the system and make it easier for people to become teachers by eliminating what many see as an unnecessary performance-based assessment.
New York stopped requiring this test in May.
The lack of teachers also brings up safety concerns, especially in the wake of rising gun violence and school shootings.
"It's not a matter of if another school shooting will happen, it's a matter of when it'll happen and where it'll happen," said State Sen. Joe Lagana. "It will happen."
So New Jersey is spending more than $6 million in federal money to have outside vendors create maps of all the schools they don't have blueprints for, in case of an active shooter. They're called collaborative response graphics.
"Every second in these situations count," Congressman Josh Gottheimer said. "The pressure points, doors, vent shafts and such can be the real difference between life and death."
During Wednesday's visit, the governor will be meeting with a bunch of people, including First Lady Jill Biden and the secretary of education.