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Shortage In Education

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In the last two decades, the United States has seen drastic reforms to in education. Teachers now face rigorous performance rate testing and underfunded schools (Klien). In Colorado, teacher pay has “declined by 7% over the past decade” (Whaley). For years, teaching primary or secondary education was considered a respectable and stable job. However, Colorado is now facing problems regarding the teacher workforce. Colorado is experiencing a labor shortage in educational school teacher positions in due the declining perception of teaching impacting the quality of the education in Colorado. The severity of this shortage will continue to increase in the next 5 years and will affect the other Colorado Industries. According to the most recent …show more content…

From 2012 to 2022, there is a project growth of 1.7% for education occupations (Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade). A decrease in the supply for teachers coupled with an increase in demand for teachers will cause a labor shortage within the foreseeable future. Some would argue that there is a possibility however, to attract teachers from out of state in order to fulfill this demand. Colorado depends on out of state talent to fuel the economy in other industries, but why not in teaching (The Colorado Workforce Developmental Council)? Compared to regional states, Colorado offers a lower average teaching salary (Brundin). In rural towns and districts, the salary offered is often lower than urban areas and starts around 30,000 dollars (Brundin). In some towns the starting salary can be lower than 25,000 dollars. Within the current conditions and salaries, it is not feasible to rely on out of state teachers to fulfill the demand. Importance Colorado’s population, employment, annual pay, and GDP have been above the national average and ranked top among the nation in 2015 (Leeds School of Business). This trend should continue, and Colorado’s economy is expected to grow within the next year (Leeds School of Business). However, to continue this growth Colorado must solve this teacher shortage problem, or it will begin to affect the

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