BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana’s classroom teacher shortage is growing worse, with rising retirements and declining ranks of new teachers in districts around the state.
The Advocate reports LSU School of Education data shows the number of students in the program plunged 57% in the past decade.
Teacher and school personnel retirements shot up 25% from 2020 to 2021. School district superintendents say they are struggling to staff classrooms.
Education leaders have said for years that the number of teachers is shrinking because of pay, classroom conditions and a negative aura around the profession.
A panel on teacher recruitment and retention is studying the issue to make recommendations to the education board and lawmakers.
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