Iowa readies for teacher shortage

While Iowa in recent years has been insulated from a national teacher shortage that's sent other states scrambling to fill classrooms, Iowa leaders warn that it's coming. And it might already be here.

Iowa colleges are now graduating 400 fewer teachers, counselors and administrators a year, a 16 percent decline, than they did in 2013. Now, about 2,100 graduates are earning education degrees a year, according to Iowa Department of Education data.

The national data are even more concerning. Between 2009 and 2014, enrollments in teacher prep programs dropped 35 percent, from 691,000 to 451,000 students, according to the Learning Policy Institute.

"There's a lot fewer applicants," said Anne Sullivan, chief of human resources in Des Moines schools. "There's just a lot fewer people going into education."

Given the number of teachers nearing retirement, Iowa leaders are starting to address the issue with round-table discussions, such as one hosted this month by the School Administrators of Iowa.

"My concern is if we go three to four years, and it sneaks up on us, we won't have quality teachers to put into classrooms," said Roark Horn, executive director of the professional association.

In addition, schools are upping recruiting efforts, especially for hard-to-fill areas such as special education, English language learning, and in more rural areas, math and science teachers.

Teaching jobs that once drew hundreds of applicants in Creston Schools 20 years ago are now attracting only 10 or 20 applicants, said lower elementary school Principal Callie Anderson.

Special education jobs have been particularly difficult to fill, and last year she asked contacts in the Des Moines metro area for suggestions.

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"They just don't come to you anymore," Anderson said. "It takes a nontraditional graduate or a small-town resident to even apply here in southwest Iowa."

With increased competition for applicants, others are increasing incentives. Des Moines Public Schools is offering a $3,000 signing bonus to special education teachers, for example, plus an 18-month contract to insulate against unforeseen budget cuts.

Another incentive for beginning teachers is a free master's program, which helps woo Des Moines applicants, Sullivan said.

Recruitment often starts in early January, with job fairs and on-the-spot interviews. Many cultivate relationships with local colleges to identify prospects.

In some areas, even kindergarten positions — which used to be so popular they often required experience — are now going to rookies.

“I don’t see it changing,” said Anderson. "I don't know how it could get any worse."

Why the shortage?

A dearth of new teachers likely has complex reasons, from greater degree requirements to increased challenges and responsibilities in the classrooms.

But some blame a political backlash they believe unfairly scapegoats the profession, weakening its perceived respectability and the interest of college students.

"If my elected leaders, from the top down, really aren’t saying they support or respect education or public schools, it would really make me question whether that’s the route I would want to go," said Tammy Wawro, president of Iowa's teachers union.

Schools struggle as teachers dwindle in number

But others point to a different shift: It's now harder to become a teacher.

Seeking to overhaul college education programs, in 2009 Education Secretary Arne Duncan derided their reputation as "cash cows" and "profit centers" that do a "mediocre job of preparing teachers for the realities of the 21st century classroom."

In the years since, many states, including Iowa, rewrote degree stipulations and required a national exam before completion. And while the changes are heralded as a way to better education, it could also be narrowing the "teacher pipeline."

In Iowa, educators must now earn a score in the top 25 percent nationally to pass, said Laurence Bice, an Iowa Department of Education consultant.

More coursework is also required. To become an elementary teacher, for example, students must take 12 subject courses: three each of math, science, social studies and language arts. Before, students only took four — one in each subject.

"We are making sure that we have the most highly qualified teachers," said Wawro. "One way to do that is by making sure they come out of the teacher prep programs as prepared as possible."