Nearly one in three teachers responding to a Oklahoma State Department of Education Survey said they would likely come back to the classroom if pay were increased.
Almost 5,500 people under age 65 with active teaching certificates but not in an Oklahoma public school responded to the survey. More than 30 percent said pay or a better opportunity was why they left, with another 44 percent citing a reason the department of education said can be related to teacher compensation, like moving out of state.
"Pay is no cure-all to staving off this shortage, but without regionally competitive compensation, we are trying to win a home run contest with one arm held behind our back," said State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.
Special education and secondary teachers were most likely to cite pay as their primary reason for leaving.
"We have raised academic standards and expectations to give our students a competitive edge. We have a strong eight-year plan in place for education, but all of it depends on having well-supported teachers for our kids," Hofmeister said. "It is also alarming that our special education teachers are particularly pay sensitive, which does not bode well for serving our students with the greatest needs."
Among teachers, the perception their colleagues are leaving because of pay is common, with 90 percent saying they believed other teachers were leaving Oklahoma because of low teacher pay.
The survey was recommended by the Teacher Shortage Task Force convened in 2015.
