Miguel Cardona says improved compensation will help recruit and retain teachers

U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona Thursday urged school systems to use pandemic relief funds to boost public school teachers’ base pay beyond one-time bonuses to help recruit and retain educators.

In a letter to colleagues Thursday, Cardona said that the American Rescue Plan and schools pandemic relief package provide “vital resources to hire additional educators and school staff and to improve compensation to recruit and retain educators and school staff. School districts should act with urgency to keep schools open for in-person learning and ensure they do not waste this opportunity to make critical investments.”

“The U.S. Department of Education is committed to supporting districts and schools across this country in addressing teacher and staff shortages, minimizing disruption to in-person learning, and meeting student needs,” Cardona wrote.

“That is why we are urging you to use resources from the $122 billion made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) Fund and a portion of the $350 billion made available through the ARP’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to ensure that students have access to the teachers and other critical staff they need to support their success during this critical period. This includes moving quickly to implement short-term strategies while also considering longer-term investments,” Cardona said.

To this end, his letter described evidence-based and promising short- and long-term strategies for addressing teacher and staff shortages that can be funded through federal pandemic funds and examples of how ARP and previous relief funds are already being used to attract and retain teachers and staff.

Hawaii State Teachers Association President Osa Tui, Jr. said, “Teachers are often told to use best practices in the work that they do, but it is disappointing that some of the best practices being put out there by Secretary Cardona have not been applied to Hawaii’s use of ESSER funds.

“The most common reason educators have cited for leaving school employment in the last year is stress followed by insufficient pay. Many school leaders are increasing wages by offering hiring and retention bonuses, working toward permanent salary increases, or providing premium pay that help educators receive the compensation they deserve and keep them in the profession, and we encourage others to continue to work towards increasing compensation.”

Ed secretary’s first priority: increase educator and staff compensation

The most common reason educators have cited for leaving school employment in the last year is stress, followed by insufficient pay, the education secretary said.
“Many school leaders are increasing wages by offering hiring and retention bonuses, working towards permanent salary increases, or providing premium pay that help educators receive the compensation they deserve and keep them in the profession, and we encourage others to continue to work towards increasing compensation. Hiring and retention bonuses may provide additional relief from some of the stresses caused by COVID-19. While some districts have expressed concern about investing in increasing compensation with short-term recovery funds, our nation’s children need support now, and many states and districts are already choosing to use ARP ESSER funds to address immediate shortage needs,” Cardona wrote.

For example, West Contra Costa County Unified School District in California is providing $6,000 signing bonuses for teachers. School districts in Oklahoma, North Carolina, New Jersey, and elsewhere are offering a range of cash incentives for new teachers, particularly in struggling and underserved schools. Indiana plans to launch a program to provide more than $2.5 million in ARP ESSER funds and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B funds to support licensure in high-need areas, and the Indianapolis Public Schools plans to provide a three percent pay raise.

Flexibilities can also be used by states and districts to bring retired educators back into the school for the next year or two, Cardona said. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued FAQs clarifying that, in some instances, retirees can return to work and still receive their pensions. As an added incentive to retain current staff eligible for retirement, employees can in some cases begin receiving pension payments while still working. Where it is not currently allowed, pension plans can be amended to permit these benefits, Cardona said.

Ed secretary wants schools to support educator, staff well-being, including improved working conditions

Now, more than ever, supporting educator well-being is critical for retaining our current educators and staff, Cardona said, noting that stress is the most common reason educators have cited for leaving school employment in the last year, followed by insufficient pay. As educators continue working during a global health crisis, educator well-being and support continue to be essential to school and district success.

Key strategies include:

  • Building intentional systems that support educator and staff well-being. Efforts to prioritize communication and collaboration between staff and leadership nurture, and model, a sense of connectedness that is crucial to supporting educators and keeping them in the profession. Efforts can include:
    • Developing school leader-to-educator support systems. For example, leaders can build in time for recurring debrief sessions with all staff members and, when necessary, hold debrief sessions after stressful days.
    • Establishing peer-to-peer support systems. For example, school leaders can prioritize educator mentoring programs to prevent burnout.
    • Reducing educator workloads. For example, school leaders can schedule staff planning time into work hours.
    • Communicating established district and school mental health supports (e.g., who to contact and what supports are available).
    • Supporting educators in recharging, including providing designated space, while ensuring students have continuous access to in-person learning. School leaders may consider providing peer-to-peer support networks and other strategies for supporting adult well-being.
    • Providing paid-time for educators and staff to get vaccinated if states or school districts are not providing on-site vaccination opportunities, and sick leave to recover from any side effects that keep them from working.
  • Increasing the availability of qualified adults and personnel to support educators, students, and staff. For example, districts can partner with institutions of higher education, community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, and businesses to provide additional supports to educators and students through the use of teaching candidates and well-trained volunteers. Districts could hire AmeriCorps members to serve as tutors or mentor students, assist with additional administrative responsibilities brought on by the pandemic, and provide creative enrichment support for students. ED24 funds can be used to meet AmeriCorps matching requirements to support these efforts. Districts should also hire the staff needed to support increased student mental health needs—providing educators and students with the additional staff they need to succeed. A number of states are already using ARP funds for these purposes. For example, the Oklahoma State Department of Education hired new school counselors, mental health professionals, and recreational therapists. Nevada is reserving $7.5 million of ARP ESSER funds to hire 100 school-based mental health professionals. Minnesota will use ARP ESSER funds to support districts and charter schools in hiring licensed school counselors, school nurses, school social workers, and school psychologists to help provide early responses to support students’ social, emotional, and mental health.
  • Implementing flexible and creative scheduling to support students for full-week in- person learning while providing planning and collaboration time for teachers. For example, districts could hold entire days focused on a single core academic subject; offer all “special” subjects (e.g., music, art, physical education) on the same day so grade-level teams can plan together; and hold shorter learning cycles, with more frequent breaks, some of which educators can use for planning. Districts should ensure that continuous in- person learning and enrichment opportunities are available for all students, and that days of in-person programming are not reduced.

Make investments in the educator pipeline

As states and districts work to stabilize their educator pipeline, a variety of strategies have been identified that can both support the preparation and development of new educators and encourage them to work in high-need schools. Cardona said evidence-based approaches to addressing pre- existing and ongoing teacher shortages include:

  • Providing loan forgiveness, grants, or service scholarship programs that significantly underwrite the cost of postsecondary education in exchange for a commitment to teach in a high-need field or school for a minimum number (e.g., four) of years (e.g., the North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program)
  • Developing and implementing high-quality comprehensive teacher residency programs that provide extensive clinical experience, which have been shown to increase teacher retention and effectiveness; and
  • Developing and implementing professional development programs and mentoring models, particularly for newer teachers, that emphasize building effective instructional strategies and provide time for ongoing collaboration.

Cardona and his department strongly encouraged school districts to “use funding under ARP to respond to the urgent needs resulting from the pandemic while beginning to plan for the investments needed to ensure that every student has access to the qualified educators and staff they need.”