Houston, Texas (KTRK) – Teachers, politicians and others met at the University of Houston on Tuesday to discuss ways to prevent Texan teachers from leaving the classroom.
According to the American Federation of Teachers, 43,000 teachers left the field in Texas last year, and Tuesday’s goal was to find immediate ways to prevent that number from growing.
“Our members want this crisis resolved,” Randy Weingarten, president of AFT, told a news conference after the closed-door meeting.
The Houston Independent School District, which participated in the meetings, discussed its 11% increase for teachers this year, but acknowledged that more work was needed to keep teachers in the classroom.
“Today was a really good opportunity for us to come together, to explore ways to recruit and retain great teachers and support staff from across our schools,” said Jeremy Grant Skinner, Chief Talent Officer at HISD.
HISD told ABC13 today that it is currently running at 95% as of Tuesday and is working to fill the remaining 5%.
Related: How schools are trying to address the national teacher shortage
Fort Bend ISD says it has 279 teacher vacancies, and Katy ISD says it has 200.
Conversely, both Klein and Channelview ISDs tell ABC13 that they are just under 100% of staff.
As for districts across the country with staff retention problems, Weingarten said in June teachers are leaving because they “have been struggling for years with a lack of professional respect.”
Solutions discussed included mental health counseling, reimbursement plans for teachers who spend their money on supplies, and programs that help employees become teachers.
But no matter what comes from the discussions, the conclusion is that any solutions must be collaborative.
“We have to work together,” said AFT Texas President Ziv Capo. “Counties, Employees, Legislatures, Parents, and Society”.
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SEE ALSO: It’s Not Just COVID-19: Why Texas Is Facing a Teacher Shortage
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