The State of New Hampshire received 4.8 million dollars of federal money to improve the state?s teacher shortage problem. This problem was recognized by a study done last February by the New Hampshire Forum on Higher Education.
As the study projected, the prob-lem is now beginning to become a statewide crisis. The reason for New Hampshire?s teacher short-age is due to the large number of teachers that retire each year. Out of [approximately] 17,500 of New Hampshire?s teachers, 40 percent of them are age 50 and older.
What that means is that 40 per-cent of New Hampshire?s teachers are close to their retirement ages. Anywhere from 500 to 700 teachers retire from New Hampshire schools each year, and this number is likely to increase anywhere from 1,000 to 1,400 in two years, the study said.
The New Hampshire Forum on Higher Education also pointed out that many newly hired teach-ers tend to leave their jobs within the first five years?approximately 23 percent of them. Many of New Hampshire?s newer teachers are leaving their jobs for higher paying jobs in other states. New Hampshire ranks fifth out of all of the six New England states in starting teacher salary, and the state is losing many of its teachers to higher paying teaching jobs to Massachusetts, a state that ranks second in New England for start-ing teacher salaries falling behind number one, Connecticut.
The 4.8 million dollar federal grant is not intended to increase the state?s starting teacher salaries?that is something that is determined at the [school] district level. Instead, the grant will improve the teacher shortage by helping local districts hold on to the teachers they already have. They will use this money to create things such as mentoring pro-grams, teacher incentive programs, and scholarship programs.
Things like mentoring programs will make it possible for newer teachers to work with veteran teach-ers. The idea is that a mentoring program will make a new teacher?s teaching experience more enjoyable, and therefore more fulfilling. This type of program would be similar to a buddy system, a system that would allow new teachers to go to veteran teachers for things like: informal advice, assessments, explanations, and observations. With mentoring programs, it has been said that new teaches will be more likely to succeed as a teacher, and also be more likely to keep their teaching job for longer than five years.
Incentive programs are pro-grams that intended for teachers who are currently working in New Hampshire?s school systems. These programs would allow these teach-ers pay raises and other benefits that were not previously offered to them. This is an important step for a school district to keep the teach-ers they already have on staff. By offering their teacher benefits and competitive salaries, the school districts are more likely to hold on to the teachers they have.
To control this shortage, local school districts in southern New Hampshire in towns such as Sa-lem, Londonderry, Hampstead, and Plaistow have made attempts to increase their educator?s base salaries. The pay increases will most likely attract new educators to southern New Hampshire, while reducing the number of educators New Hampshire is losing to Massachusetts.
For southern New Hampshire towns, the idea is to keep their educators from taking jobs in Massachusetts by offering them better pay, pay that proves to be an important investment in the town?s educational system. The pay increases are important considering that New England?s average start-ing teacher salary is $44,636, New Hampshire?s being only $39,915, while Massachusetts?s average sal-ary is $49,054, in 2001.
In Concord NH, the school dis-trict is willing to pay for teacher?s who would like to return to school and earn their master?s degree, but the teacher?s must teach in the Con-cord school district for three years or longer.
The Winnisquam school district noticed improvements in their teacher shortage after voters ap-proved a 21 percent increase in teacher?s salaries for a new three-year time contract period. And the town reported that more teachers returned to work than ever.
The federal grant helps the teacher shortage problem for the meantime, but voters are the ones who will have the most affect on long-term progress. Voting for pay raises, incentive programs, and other similar programs, voters can help alleviate the burden their town faces with the teacher short-age problems.