Low budgets, low pay and constant public disrespect has prompted more and more educators to abandon the classroom. Seeing potential opportunities in other fields, frustrated public-school teachers have walked away from their teaching jobs in record numbers during 2018, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report based on U.S. Department of Labor figures.
Public education employees have been quitting their jobs at the fastest rate since figures were first compiled in 2001. In the first 10 months of 2018, public educators quit at an average rate of 83 per 10,000 a month, according to the Labor Department — a record high and a disturbing trend.
For a long time, teachers have complained of being overworked and under appreciated as states have stripped away work protections, cut school budgets and blamed them for student underperformance.
Wages and salaries for public education workers continue to lag behind jobs in the private sector and a labor market driven by a jobless rate of less than 4 percent have enticed teachers to leave teaching and consider different roles.
The number of teachers going into other fields has been growing for the past three years, CBS News reported, with many taking jobs in health care, social assistance or administrative services, according to Census Bureau data.
US News and World Report data puts the average elementary teacher salary at $55,800 while high school teachers average at $58,000.
By: Maytinee Kramer
