In Utah, more teachers leave their job each year than the number of new instructors who enter the classroom.
That created a shortage of 1,600 educators in 2016, according to a new survey from Envision Utah, a regional planning agency. Meanwhile, the students filling the seats before them increased by 10,000 statewide. It’s an imbalance that’s getting worse.
“We need a lot more teachers than we currently have,” said Jason Brown, spokesman for the organization. “We just have such a high turnover rate.”
In a first-of-its-kind study from Envision Utah, which typically focuses on neighborhood and transportation issues in the state, the numbers reveal the deepening teacher deficit — something that’s been studied and talked about for years, including an impassioned call by Utah Gov.