Sunday, October 11, 2020

The COVID-19 Crisis Means We Should Hire More Teachers

    We could perhaps, yet, do a better job in responding to the COVID-19 crisis in regards to our schools. If teachers are there, teaching those showing up in person for class, then also having to teach virtually those home on COVID concerns, that is double duty, double the work, in some cases, depending on the workload for those at home. 

   If we were as responsive as we should be, if we were able to fill the need as quick as it reared its head (and we should be), we would immediately hire more teachers to meet the need. Even now, we should be looking at whether we can do this. The school year is mostly ahead. It is not too late to do something. Does this require more legislative funding? Can more funding be found? Should we be holding an emergency legislative session to address this? 

   I don't have a seat close to what is going on. But, from what I do see, we definitely should have our legislature in session, charged with finding funds to meet this need. Teacher salary has improved in recent years, and perhaps that is why there is not a greater outcry. Still, if the workload is as it appears -- if they are in some cases working way past quitting time -- we should find a way to hire more teachers to do that extra work.

   Perhaps, in some cases, we have done exactly that. I don't know. I know we haven't done so in all cases, though.

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