Does Michigan Have A ‘Teacher Shortage’?

We constantly hear from the teachers unions, the press, the Democrat politicians and the left leaning pundits that Michigan is in the midst of a “teacher shortage” crisis.

As I always do, I search for the truth through facts, not emotion or hearsay.  What does the facts tell us?  Well according to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy the “teacher shortage” in Michigan crisis for now is a myth.

They give us examples such as the Utica Community Schools recently receiving 433 applicants for one elementary school position.

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy also points us to a Citizens Research Council of Michigan report release last February that stated there was no evidence of a teacher shortage in Michigan.

Is there a shortage in some specialty positions in certain school district?  The article states:

Finding enough qualified special education and foreign language instructors appears to be persistent challenge for most schools. For example, Utica Schools, cited above for getting 433 applicants for an elementary classroom opening, also received zero applications for a world language position at an alternative education center.

So that may be true but you cannot look at a few specialty positions and then apply that to all teacher openings.  In fact I have a friend who teaches in another state who has informed me that he has been attempting to get a teaching position in Michigan but cannot due to so many people applying for those open positions.

But that does not stop the “news media” from writing pieces stating that there is a “teacher shortage” in Michigan.  The Mackinac Center for Public Policy through their new site the Michigan Capitol Confidential has provided the following:

For example, The Detroit News reported in September of 2018 that shortages were “prompting school district leaders to scramble to fill their vacancies while fearing the problem might only get worse.”

National news outlets have also picked up the theme and declared that a teacher shortage is a nationwide problem.

“The Teacher-Shortage Crisis Is Upon Us,” was the Oct. 4 headline for Jacobin Magazine, a far-left New York-based magazine.

That article stated: “Low pay and classroom-spending cuts are making teaching an unattractive profession. If this doesn’t change, we’re in big trouble. Luckily, teachers, unions, and Bernie Sanders have plans for that.”

The Economic Policy Institute has also weighed in, stating earlier this year, “The teacher shortage is real, large and growing

All I hope for is that everyone who wants to write or speak about this issue draw from facts and not hearsay or innuendo.

Oh, by the way the other position pushed by the same people pushing the “teacher shortage” myth also push the theory that the number of students in Michigan’s classrooms have been increasing, well we find out from the facts that, that is also a myth.

The same article stated the following:

Over the past 11 years, the ratio of students to teachers in Michigan classrooms has remained about the same. In 2007-08, there were 107,537 full-time teachers, and the ratio of students to teachers was 15.30-to-1. By 2018-19, the ratio had grown to 15.46-to-1. There were fewer teachers (97,471 full-time positions), but also fewer students 11 years later.

People just stick to the facts, it is easier to defend and you do not make yourselves look like fools or agenda pushers.

For God's sake, you are going to use children as political pawns to get your way that is very disgusting.