There is No Teacher Shortage

Over the past year there has been a steady stream of claims of a looming “teacher shortage” coming from voices in the public school establishment that Michigan. Generally these are associated with false claims of lower state funding and falling teacher pay rates.

Among those repeating the teacher shortage claim is State Superintendent Brian Whiston. Many union and school officials who appear to reading from similar “war on teachers” play books assert that the mythical attacks are dissuading many who might otherwise choose to enter the profession.

ForTheRecord says: There were 97,288 teachers in the state of Michigan in 2014-15. From 2000 to 2014, 34,689 individuals granted an education degree from a Michigan college passed a government certification test that allows them to teach. If there is an impending shortage, the many state colleges churning out teaching candidates apparently never got the memo.