Michigan needs to do more to retain young educators

When I tell people that I’m getting an undergraduate degree in secondary education, the variety of their responses is very telling. Some laugh or balk, saying “I could never be a teacher!” Some instead choose to commend my pursuit: “You’re going to be a great teacher!” I’ve even had people tell me they would consider teaching during their midlife crisis after realizing their consulting job brings them no joy. Almost everyone, however, ends their response with something along the lines of: “Well … what we really need now are good teachers who want to teach!”

Unfortunately, given the threats to the American education system, they aren’t wrong. With President Donald Trump promising to hack away at the U.S. Department of Education, the future of education looks bleak. Regardless if Trump’s claims turn out to be true, the sensationalism within them distracts people from long-standing, tangible issues facing American education, most critically the teaching crisis.  

One thing reigns as an undeniably important aspect of providing exceptional education: incentivizing careers in education. Without well-trained, motivated teachers who plan to stay in the field, there is no education. As Trump promises to restructure educational funding and policy, Michigan must prepare to step on the gas and address root causes in the teaching crisis.  

Any incoming political administration should be focusing on educational policy that works to mediate the many strifes teachers now face. Pew Research Center’s 2023 survey shows that American teachers are struggling with systemic inequities in education, which has been inflated by long-lasting issues from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Chronic absenteeism, spikes in adolescent anxiety and depression and concerns with technology mean that teachers may serve as proxy social workers, parents, therapists and leaders of their classrooms. These growing concerns in a complex educational system are amplified by factors of socioeconomic status and systemic racism. 

Following the digital shift in education during the pandemic, the mantra of “we need teachers” has been more apparent, yet many districts can’t afford it. Teacher preparation programs in Michigan’s state schools are also just starting to rebound in attendance due to more monetary support from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration. While other states have been more efficient in creating competitive teacher salaries, Michigan’s efforts to address teacher shortages in the state are not feeble. 

The unfortunate reality is that Michigan still lags in its teacher shortage. According to the Michigan Education Association, 10,000 teachers in Michigan quit each year, with only 5,000 new teachers coming into the workforce. Therefore, it is important for Michigan’s government and economy to entice teaching careers for students graduating from its state colleges.

Unsurprisingly, a great way to retain teachers is to pay them better. A 2024 report by Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative found that Michigan placed 39th in starting teacher salaries in 2020, the lowest among the Great Lake states.

The state has failed to keep up with inflation, affecting entry-level teacher salaries the most. MSU’s report found that the early career salaries for individuals with elementary and secondary education degrees are 18% lower than other entry-level jobs requiring a college degree. This is about $3,000 less than Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s calculation for a general living salary before taxes that is needed for a single adult without children. 

Most Michiganders support increasing teacher salaries. Other Great Lakes states offer entry-level teachers higher pay, with Illinois and Minnesota paying roughly $3,200 more per year. Why would a new teacher turn down a high salary to work in Chicago if it is the most financially rewarding Midwestern region for beginning a grueling teaching career?

The Midwestern lakefront city, Chicago, a magnet for young 20-year-olds, is the place to teach. The entry-level salary for public school teachers in Illinois is thousands of dollars more than it is in Michigan. Yet, this stat is misleading because the standard of living for teaching in Chicago Public Schools is more expensive, and the ability for Illinois teachers to strike can be more trouble than it’s worth. 

Despite low salaries and startling stats, Michigan’s government and its school districts want to support teachers but have not done enough. 

Whitmer is adamant about young educators coming — and staying — in Michigan to teach. Recently, Michigan passed legislation to include stipend programs and student loan forgiveness as an incentive for students to stay and teach in Michigan. While these programs are a great start, they offer little economic incentives long term. 

In only 13 of the 50 states, teachers are able to strike to make their voices heard. In Michigan, however, striking is illegal. Strikes generally succeed in increasing salaries and bettering learning conditions for all in the community. Research shows that the increased funding following a strike does not come from greater class sizes or staff cuts. Instead, the state usually provides the money, since the extremity of striking forces the general public to demand better teaching environments for their community. 

In 2016, Detroit Public Schools teachers skirted the laws against striking by calling in sick en masse to protest the conditions of the schools. So many called in sick that the schools were forced to close. With the DPS strike in mind, lawmakers considered removing the striking ban, but the portion of the law did not pass.

Negotiating powers for teachers unions must be expanded. Educational policy and progress to remain the best place for teachers to teach have lacked for decades. There has to be a long-term move toward listening and fixing concerns expressed by teachers. DPS did not amend urgent concerns with large class sizes, black mold or collapsing ceiling tiles, so the teachers used their mass sick-day protest to successfully call attention to the issues. 

Increasing forward-thinking retention programs beyond loan forgiveness and scholarships for teacher preparation programs can help further incentivize teachers to build their careers in Michigan. Increased funding for educational technology during the pandemic shows that in dire circumstances, our systems can somewhat adapt. Most Michigan school districts are reaching the last year in which they can utilize the injection of funds from the pandemic. Knowing that Michigan has lacked forward progress in teacher salaries for decades, the state needs to continue working towards investing in teaching programs and teaching salaries. 

Michigan needs young teachers who are well trained and eager to implement modern education research. Our state has some of the best teacher preparation programs in the country, so we should have multitudes of young teachers. Our school tells us we’re the leaders and the best — why isn’t our state the leader or the best in harboring our prowess? Everyone benefits from stronger K-12 schools because society benefits from educated communities. Good, young teachers want to work; the question is where they will work. Our state selfishly needs to ensure that the top-notch education schools produce students that are incentivized to stay and teach in Michigan. Our state needs to continue offering competitive salaries and benefits. I find that many of my peers and I want to stay in Michigan and provide our services for the state’s communities. In two years, I hope my home state will provide my classmates and I with these incentives. If they do, I imagine many younger students and potential future educators will follow in our footsteps. Meredith Knight is an Opinion Columnist who writes about education policy in her column “School is in Session.” You can reach her at mmknight@umich.edu.

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