Math, science, special education, and foreign language teachers are most in demand, with music and art teachers right behind. Vince DeSantis, a principle economist with the New York Department of Labor, says the state needs an estimated 12,370 new teachers each year until 2007. New York City is bearing the brunt of the shortage. But rural and urban districts statewide also are affected. In Jamestown, one quarter of the district's teaching staff has turned over in the last two years.
Teachers cite insufficient pay as their main complaint.
Math and science Many teachers complain that the best teaching jobs require a master's degree and years of experience, yet don't pay that well and demand extensive accountability. And a growing number of teachers, as well as those who were planning to enter the field, are being lured away from the classroom by the promise of high salaries in high-tech fields. Those who would make good science or math teachers can now go into industry for more money and with the perception that there's a better advancement ladder, too. In Massachusetts, Gov. Paul Cellucci Aug. 30 proposed that math and science teachers be paid more than other teachers, with the state picking up the difference. Massachusetts' booming high technology sector has produced many high-paying jobs that have created a shortage of math and science teachers.