Survey seeks to explain statewide teacher shortage
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Although a survey of Hays USD 489 teachers showed high satisfaction in many areas of their work, teachers said they saw society's opinions of their profession as low.
Eighty-three percent of teachers surveyed said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with how society views teaching. This was even higher than the state average of 74 percent.
The voluntary survey was conducted in the fall. About 46 percent of the Hays USD 490 teachers responded. The responses were anonymous.
"The intent of this survey is to try to determine why, as a profession, we are losing educators and why we are not bringing in as many educators as in the past," Superintendent Ron Wilson told the Hays school board Monday night.
While USD 489 has been able to fill its teaching vacancies regularly, other districts in the state have struggled.
USD 489 has historically attributed part of its success to strong ties to the teaching program at Fort Hays State University.
Entering the fall 2022 academic year, there were an estimated 1,500 teacher vacancies in Kansas, according to a Kansas Reflector report in January 2023.
The district considered going to a four-day school week to attract more applicants, but that will not happen for this coming school year.
Wilson said the survey is just one sampling of teachers and did not include the entire USD 489 teaching staff.
Thirty-three percent of teachers surveyed said they were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with parental involvement. Twenty-eight percent said they were neutral, and forty percent were satisfied. No respondents said they were very satisfied. This was below the state average, which was 56 percent of teachers saying they were satisfied or very satisfied with parent involvement.
Wilson said he was concerned about the teachers' responses to the parental involvement question.
"I think we are at a time in education where we have had people who are more vocal against things that have gone on in schools, and I think, as teachers, you don't feel as supported," Wilson said.
Sixty-six percent of the surveyed teachers in USD 489 said they were overall satisfied with their jobs, which was 6 percent higher than the state average.
Many teachers in USD 489 and across the state said they were satisfied or very satisfied with factors such as having someone who cares for them at their schools, having colleagues who are committed to their jobs and feeling they had opportunities for professional development.
Fifty-eight of the surveyed USD 489 teachers said they believed their voices and opinions were heard, slightly higher than the state average. Sixty-one percent said they received feedback from the administration.
Eighty-six percent said they had school pride.
Eighty-eight percent of teachers surveyed said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the leadership of the superintendent, which was much higher than the state average of 56 percent.
Teachers also expressed high satisfaction with their principals.
Fifty-seven percent of surveyed teachers said they were satisfied with the Hays school board, which was also higher than the state average of 39 percent. This survey was conducted before the new school board members took their seats in January.
Sixty percent of teachers said they were dissatisfied with the amount of support they had for handling student behaviors and difficult situations in the classroom.
Superintendent Ron Wilson said he thought this an area the district needs to improve upon.
Almost half — 48 percent — of teachers said they were dissatisfied with the student-teacher ratios.
Board member Meagan Zampieri-Lillpopp said addressing class size is built into the district's plans.
She said class sizes have been difficult to reduce because additional classroom space is unavailable. The bond will help address that. She said reducing class size might also help reduce students' negative behaviors.
"All of it is connected," she said.
Few USD 489 teachers said they intended to retire in the next three years, leave public education or plan to teach in another district.