After years of teacher shortages, Utah’s school districts are fully staffed. Here’s why
Aug 27, 2024, 12:40 PM | Updated: 12:48 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — For years, Utah school districts reported teacher staffing shortages. The 2024 school year was on display, and not exempt from more staffing problem rumors. But new reporting couldn’t find any districts in Utah that confirmed it.
So where was the change? Canyon School District said its mission was to help teachers feel valued, and that’s what attracted some of the new teachers who started their tenure there this school year.
“Some of them, it’s their very first day in the industry so we wanted to say ‘Aloha, welcome to the Canyons School District,” said the district’s spokesperson, Jeff Haney.
The district brought in local businesses and housing companies to help new hires relocate from out of state.
“I absolutely love it here,” said new teacher Brandon Lupus, from Diamond Ridge High School. “It’s done amazing things for me and my family. I wouldn’t be a teacher if it weren’t for the teachers I’ve had in Canyons District.”
Clara Somers, a new teacher at Draper Park Middle School agreed, saying the networking and community are great value.
“Getting to know a little about how the Canyons (School District) works,” she said. “Being able to build those community partnerships and relationships helps make the job worth it.”
Providing that support system is “what we’re all about,” Haney said. And it’s helped the district become almost fully staffed.
Similarly, Jordan School District said it had nearly four applicants for each of its 400 openings. It attributes state and district pay raises as a big help in the difference. Several districts in Utah now start teachers at or above $60,000 annually, which is higher than the national average for starting teachers, and places Utah at number 10 on the U.S. list, according to the National Education Association.
Washington School District is taking the problem a step further by training students to one day be teachers.
Career Tech High School gives students training in eight high-demand career paths, including teaching. The idea is “to give students some work-based learning experiences and the opportunity to earn a professional credential by the time they graduate from high school,” said education pathway teacher at Career Tech, Ryan Rarick.
Other Utah districts are also offering similar curricula that include “on-the-job” training, and others have even rolled out new teacher benefits to help with the shortage.
For now, teachers are following the state’s effort to draw them in, and for some of them, they’re fulfilling lifelong dreams.
“I literally dreamed of becoming a teacher and today is the first day of that coming true,” said Madilyn Bowles, a new teacher at Alta High School.
