Many Texas school districts find it hard to make sure somebody is standing at the front of the classroom, teaching all those students. Holly Eaton, Director of Professional Development at the Texas Classroom Teachers Association, says fewer people actually want to be a teacher these days.
“It's not viewed in some quarters as attractive a profession as it used to be,” Eaton says, “and there's a significant amount of education and teacher bashing that's gone on in the national dialogue.”
A survey by the University of Phoenix College of Education finds more than 40% of schools have at least one unfilled teaching position. The problem is worse in small rural school districts.
“They tend to struggle because they're in remote areas,” she points out, “or, can't compete with some of the larger districts for salaries and benefits.”