Think the state's education problems don't affect you…think again!

Parents in some California school districts are being asked to contribute from $200 to $400 per child to their local public schools. Some 20,000 California teachers, librarians, nurses and other staff have been advised of possible layoffs. A few Texas school districts are actively recruiting California teachers because of the funding crisis.

While a lack of funding is the prime problem facing California schools, Texas has other more problematic issues. The need for additional teachers is becoming a true nightmare for Texas schools. Educators explained why during a Texas legislative committee hearing this week.

One expert testified that the shortage of teachers in Texas public schools is critical but even more so because the greatest skill shortage is found in math, science, foreign language, special education and bilingual education. He pointed out that more than 5,000 of the state's teachers are not certified to teach the subjects they currently teach.

One of the state's goals in recent years was to increase the number of teachers graduating from Texas colleges and universities. However, education officials now say that increasing "production" of teachers is not going to solve the shortage. Rather, there is an extreme need for a comprehensive plan that includes preparation, retention and support for public school teachers.

Three years ago, Texas lost 11 percent of its teachers annually. That number is currently down to 9.5 percent, but even at that rate, the state must hire 30,000 additional teachers. That is one huge job!

Ironically, surveys show that schools with the greatest needs are the ones with the greatest shortages. Schools that require the best-trained teachers are the least likely to get them.

Also discussed at the hearing was the shortage in Texas of quality school principals - not a shortage of applicants, but a shortage of "quality" applicants. And again, in economically distressed districts where principals are a critical component of the overall success of students, principal turnover is the greatest. Unfortunately, as go the principals, so go the teachers - where there is higher principal turnover, there is higher teacher turnover. The result is more hard-to-staff schools, a continuation of poverty cycles, rising unemployment, less economic growth and a downward spiral in local wage rates.

In the past, teachers listed low salaries as the number one reason for leaving the teaching profession. According to education experts, Texas teacher salaries are only 82 percent of what a college graduate would be offered in more than a dozen other comparable occupations. Today, however, Texas teacher organizations report that salary concerns have fallen behind concerns about "working conditions" and most teachers list the latter as reasons for leaving teaching positions. One-third of Texas teachers leave the profession during their first five years on the job.

The good news is that the Texas Education Agency is working with education and teacher organizations as well as school districts to address the teacher and qualified principal shortage. And the Governor’s Office put into place two teacher incentive programs – one for teachers who succeed in economically disadvantaged schools and another to establish educator performance-pay programs. Some school districts are creating mentor programs for new teachers. Other districts are offering bonuses and stipends to teachers who sign employment contracts with hard-to-staff schools. More non-compensation benefits are being studied as schools struggle to retain good teachers, such as reducing student-teacher ratios, offering more clerical staff support, and reducing the amount of paperwork for teachers.

It is important to realize that the Texas teacher shortage problem is not a local problem. It is a serious statewide problem that will impact not only the future of the state's children but one that threatens the economic prosperity of every Texas resident. The state will not be economically competitive until the education problems are resolved. This issue is one that should warrant the attention of every government leader, employer, business group, nonprofit, social, civic and religious organization in Texas.