The Florida legislature passed an act allowing veterans to teach in public schools without a degree. After Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed the bill into law, the state Department of Education announced that it would issue a “5-year temporary certificate for military veterans who have not yet earned their bachelor’s degrees” Applicants need only complete 60 credit hours (half the number required for a bachelor’s of arts) with a 2.5 GPA (C+), pass a subject area exam and be assigned a mentor at the school where they teach.
This policy reflects two serious problems: a severe shortage of teachers and a profound distrust of professionals, especially educators among a sizeable portion of the electorate. Neither problem can be fixed by putting unqualified people in the classroom, especially since DeSantis’ motive is political rather than practical.
A survey conducted by the Illinois Department of Education revealed that 88 percent of 663 school districts surveyed had a teacher shortage. The shortage has become chronic in several states. Nevada has approximately 3,000 unfilled positions, Florida 8,000. The five largest districts in the Houston area cannot fill approximately 1,988 vacancies.
The shortage results from two factors: a decline in the number of college students pursuing education degrees and experienced teachers leaving the profession. Between 2006 and 2019 the number of students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in education declined by 22 percent. Approximately 300,000 teachers and other staff left the profession between February 2020 and this May. A recent survey revealed that 55 percent of teachers planned to leave earlier than they planned.
Teachers have good reason to quit. A National Education Association survey found that 67 percent of those polled felt burned out, primarily from the stress of the pandemic, but also from the extra work they had to do because of teacher and staff shortages. Nearly half feel they are underpaid, and 44 percent feel a “lack of respect from parents/the public.”
Lack of respect stems from historic anti-intellectualism intensified by the right’s distrust of experts. “Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” has become an American truism since George Bernard Shaw wrote the line in 1905. Now teachers have become a popular target of disgruntled parents, conservative pundits and populist politicians who accuse them of corrupting morals, promoting white guilt and undermining Christianity.
The teacher shortage has left school districts scrambling. They have addressed the problem by increasing class sizes and assigning more work to the educators who remain. Some districts have resorted to shortening the school week to four days. These measures adversely affect the quality of education. Several states have relaxed certification requirements, hoping to attract college-educated but uncertified people to the profession.
The Florida law, however, is unprecedented and has more to do with politics than staffing classrooms. If DeSantis’ state is so short of teachers, why limit the alternative path to certification to veterans? The answer lies in the governor’s political ideology. He panders to a conservative electorate that distrusts all professionals other than those in uniform (police and military). He has defied Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance throughout the pandemic. “It is very important that we say unequivocally no to lockdowns, no to school closures, no to restrictions and no to mandates,” he declared in late July 2021 as the delta variant was surging in Florida.
DeSantis’s disregard for healthcare professionals is equaled only by his contempt for professional educators. In March, he signed the infamous “don’t say gay” bill prohibiting instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation to children in grades K-3. A month later, the Florida Department of Education with the governor’s blessing rejected 54 math books because they allegedly contained lessons “indoctrinating concepts like race essentialism.” Perhaps DeSantis believes veterans will be the sort of patriotic teachers who can be relied upon to teach his conservative values.
Or maybe he has a different motive. In 2019, he signed a bill allowing more Florida teachers to carry firearms in schools. What better way to install a cadre of armed educators than to hire veterans and give them guns?
We do need to address the teacher shortage and making certification easier could help. It takes five years to earn a bachelor’s in education degree with certification at many colleges and universities. Education majors graduate with an extra year of debt that qualifies them for a profession in which they will be underpaid and little appreciated with limited opportunity for advancement. Some requirements should be modified or eliminated. Student teaching could be replaced with a paid apprenticeship under the guidance of an experienced teacher.
Tweaking the certification process, however, does not mean throwing out requirements the way the Florida law does. Being in the military does not qualify a person to teach. No one can acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be an educator in just two years of college. A 2.5 grade point average is a very low bar. Does anyone want their children taught by someone with only an average understanding of math, reading or science?
The best way to address the teaching shortage is not lower standards but better compensation. We need to close the earning gap between educators and other professionals. In 2021, teachers were earning 23.5 percent less than those in comparable fields. In 28 states they earn less than 80 cents for every dollar earned by their peers with a similar college education.
We also need to address the respect gap. Teachers should be held in the same regard as police, firefighters, military personnel and medical professionals. Would you want to be treated by a doctor who had not completed medical school? How about flying on an airplane operated by an under-trained pilot? Our children deserved to be taught by well-educated teachers justly compensated for their important work. The future of the United States depends on it.
Tom Mockaitis is a professor of history at DePaul University and author of “Violent Extremists: Understanding the Domestic and International Terrorist Threat.”