Philadelphia nonprofit hopes teaching fellowship program reduces national teacher shortage
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The new school year is just weeks away, but many schools across the nation are still on the hunt for new teachers.
While the national teacher shortage continues to be an ongoing problem, a Philadelphia nonprofit trying to change that.
Job seekers were a welcome sight at a recent employment fair in Stockton, California, where the school district is trying to attract new teachers with signing bonuses of up to $10,000, as well as six-figure salaries.
"They are just unheard of as far as the amounts of money that we are offering," said Sherry Jackson, Stockton Unified's director of recruiting.
The teacher shortage -- which peaked during the pandemic -- continues in many parts of the country, including Florida, where there are more than 5,000 unfilled positions.
"The health of the teaching profession is at or near its lowest points in the past 50 years," said Melissa Lyon, who is an assistant professor at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the University at Albany.
Lyon co-authored a report on the state of the teaching profession and said money is a big reason why.
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A study last year found average teacher salaries have actually dropped almost 8% when adjusted for inflation.
Also, according to the National Education Association, Florida ranks 48th in pay, with teachers making an average of $51,000 a year.
At the same time, teachers feel overworked and under-appreciated.
"Many more teachers are saying that if they could do it all again, they would not become teachers. Many more teachers are saying that the stress of the job is not worth it," Lyon said.
Not only are teachers leaving the profession but many young people don't want to join it.
However, a nonprofit in Philadelphia is trying to change that with a program that allows college students, like Shamar Long, to become teaching fellows.
"I love that I kind of get the opportunity to speak to students that may never of had a Black male teacher in the classroom," Long said.
So far 450, fellows have gone through the program, and three out of four have become educators.