Introduction to Enrollment Decline
As we have reported many times at NBC6, enrollment is down in both Miami-Dade County and Broward County Public Schools.
“We are certainly seeing that, and that is probably due to the increase in the amount of choices that students have,” said Angie Luna, a teacher at Aventura Waterways K8 Center.
Factors Contributing to Lower Enrollment
“There’s many, many reasons why students, population and student enrollment in public schools is dropping,” added Ivonne Diaz, a special education teacher in Miami-Dade Schools. Diaz is correct, there’s a variety of factors causing lower public school enrollment, from families leaving the area because of the cost of living, to more school choice options, to birth rates going down.
Impact on Schools and Teachers
“When I started, there were a thousand kids in this school, and now maybe about 800, there’s empty classrooms everywhere,” said Jordanna Egan, who teaches at Tropical Elementary School. In our annual teacher survey, which drew close to 1,400 responses, 78% of teachers say their school is experiencing a drop in enrollment. Whatever the reasons, fewer students means fewer dollars for high school teachers.
Financial Consequences for Teachers
“So our enrollment is down and therefore our budget is down, so being offered to teach an extra class has been taken away from us,” said Wyndi Fasciana of Western High School. “And teachers in the past have always been offered an extra class and an extra class is $6,000 a year, that’s a nice chunk of change.” “Our class sizes are exploding because they’re not offering extra classes as much as they were, so they reduce the number of extra classes that teachers could teach and just put extra students in the classes that were already existing,” added LaDonna Van Buren, who teaches at Cypress Bay High School.
Paradoxical Effects on Class Sizes
So paradoxically, overall underenrollment can lead to some classes being overcrowded. There’s still a need for more teachers. In our survey, 62% said their school has staff shortages, and 82% said the districts are not doing enough to fix the problem.
Recruitment and Alternative Pathways
So that’s where recruitment comes into play. Each school district has programs to train professionals from other fields to become teachers, but 59% in our survey do not support alternative pathways to teaching. “I appreciate the effort, but from personal experience, it has not been successful,” Fasciana said, saying many of them find teaching turns out to be much harder than they had envisioned and leave the profession.
Different Perspectives on Alternative Pathways
Nina Martinez has a different view. “You’ll pick up some great people that way!” Martinez said. She caught the teaching bug while volunteering and is now a veteran at Hollywood Hills Elementary. Benjamin Hope switched careers and found his calling at McArthur High, and said his enthusiasm makes up for whatever he didn’t know about managing a classroom. “You know, I mean a lot of times the real popular teachers are the ones who connect with the kids, when you connect with those kids and inspire them, they just go way above,” Hope said.
Conclusion
With fewer college students majoring in education, recruiting career changers is crucial for the districts to staff their schools. The decline in enrollment affects not only the students but also the teachers, leading to financial consequences and staff shortages. It is essential for the school districts to find effective solutions to address these issues and ensure the quality of education for their students.
FAQs
Q: What are the main factors contributing to the decline in public school enrollment?
A: The main factors include families leaving the area due to the cost of living, more school choice options, and decreasing birth rates.
Q: How does the decline in enrollment affect teachers?
A: The decline in enrollment leads to fewer dollars for high school teachers, resulting in reduced opportunities to teach extra classes and earn additional income.
Q: What is being done to address staff shortages in schools?
A: Each school district has programs to train professionals from other fields to become teachers, but there is a need for more effective solutions to address the staff shortages.
Q: What are the different perspectives on alternative pathways to teaching?
A: Some teachers believe that alternative pathways can be successful in recruiting great people, while others think that it has not been successful due to the challenges of teaching being harder than envisioned.
