As the final bell rings on another school year, we wonder how many of our teachers will return when classes resume in the fall.

Teachers across Pennsylvania are leaving their jobs at an alarming rate, paralleling a nationwide exodus of burned-out educators and a collapse in enrollment in recruitment programs that are making experienced teachers increasingly difficult to replace.

Amid lackluster enrollments in colleges and programs that train teachers, the drop-off in teacher certifications is particularly steep in Pennsylvania, tumbling from 15,000 in 2011 to under 6,000 in 2021.

A recent report by Penn State’s Center for Education Evaluation and Policy Analysis shows that the rate of teacher attrition in Pennsylvania has hit its highest point in a decade of tracking.

That mirrors a pattern emerging in other states as schools across the country struggle to find teachers. The pay and pressures of the job are major — though hardly the only — reasons some schools are struggling to fill certain teaching positions.

Teachers nationwide cite increased dissatisfaction with the job amid the travails of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing workloads, low pay, shrinking autonomy and increasingly hostile school environments, as reasons for leaving the profession.

In addition to the time and effort required to find a replacement, research shows teacher turnover has a negative effect on student outcomes, school climate and teacher quality.

When school districts can’t find fully certified teachers, they hire less-experienced teachers who often aren’t fully credentialed. Those teachers have limited skills, and it’s tougher for them to do their job, resulting in constant turnover.

Because of the shortage of qualified teachers, some classrooms are being led by staff who — while dedicated to caring for our students — lack appropriate knowledge and skills to deliver instruction.

There are real consequences for students when our schools cannot fill vacant teacher positions or hire quality candidates. Some districts have been forced to increase class sizes, have noninstructional school employees cover classrooms, and even shut down face-to-face instruction and switch to remote learning modes, which leaves students in less-than-ideal learning environments when not implemented properly.

State lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro are looking at ways to address the shortage, including stipends for student teachers and tax credits for newly certified teachers.

Our teachers are leaving because they feel overwhelmed and not supported. Paying them more and boosting school funding is vital.

We can’t have a revolving door of teachers instructing our children, continually losing experienced educators who help mold their students for the future.

– JGG