As schools across the state start their summer vacations, there are concerns about what classrooms will look like when educators and students return for the fall semester. The state is experiencing a teacher shortage crisis, with more than 1,000 licensed educator positions unfilled and 40% of districts reporting severe overall staffing shortages, ranging from educational assistants to bus drivers. That means over 20,000 students are left without trained teachers.
On this week’s Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll be taking a look at the short- and long-term solutions for recruiting and retaining educators and even bringing back veteran educators who have left the field altogether. And we want to hear from you! Are you an educator who is thinking about leaving the field? Are you a parent who has seen the effects of the shortage in your child’s classroom? Are you a veteran teacher who has already left teaching? What would get you back in the classroom? Email us at LetTalk@kunm.org or call in live during the show at 505-277-5866.
Guests:
- Alan Mather, President, Golden Apple Foundation for Teacher
- Mandi Torrez, Teacher Liaison PED, 2020 Teacher of the Year
- Mia Provencio, University of New Mexico Professor, Department of Teacher Education, Educational Leadership, and Policy
-Layla Dehaiman, Assistant Director of Educator Quality, PED
-Gwen Perea Warniment, Director of the Legislative Education Study Committee
Resources:
Golden Apple Foundation Refer a Scholar
Golden Apple Foundation Apply to be a Scholar
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
