Teacher wage gap seen as a reason for short staffing in schools

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - A new wage gap report shows just how little teaching jobs have adjusted for inflation, which some believe has led to short staffing in schools across the country and especially in Ohio.

According to the study done by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), Ohio teachers make 14% less than people in Ohio with similar levels of education. Ohio Education Association (OEA) President Scott DiMauro believes this lack of wage improvement has led to many people leaving the business while giving people less of an incentive to pursue education as a career.

“We are seeing some larger districts, like Cleveland, with 150 openings as school is ready to start,” DiMauro said, “and now there is a smaller and smaller pool of candidates for those jobs.”

DiMauro believes that, if the wage gap continues to expand, the hiring rates will further decline. If that is the case, big changes could be coming.

“If you don’t have fully staffed schools that means larger class sizes and less individual attention,” DiMauro said.

The OEA is hoping the state will step-in to help increase wages through state-funding. This option could create a fix that DiMauro believes needs to be done now.

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