It's a problem across green country; teachers are retiring, but not nearly enough replacements are experienced enough to fill their shoes.
A new law going into effect November 1 aims to help the problem, but is being met with skepticism on the part of teachers. That's because it's not clear where the money for the incentive is going to come from.
Teachers say the intent of the plan is to train novice teachers to get specialized qualifications. Those teachers would make $3,000 or $5,000 more per year, creating an incentive to become leaders in their respective schools and stay for several more years.
"The majority of our teachers in TPS are in years one to five," Shawna Mott-Wright said. Mott-Wright is the Vice President of the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association. "That door just keeps revolving."
But Mott-Wright is also worried there simply aren't enough funds for the plan to work as designed.
"Having the option is great," she said, "but the real goal is to have funding."
It's up to the districts to determine when they want to roll out the programs, but it doesn't seem like many are going to jump on it right away. A few local districts are going to wait to implement the plan, but some select districts could act as pilot programs for the rest of the state.
