LETTER: Thanks to Act 10, Wisconsin has a shortage of teachers

To Ozaukee Press:

I hate to say “we told you so” but we told you so! Do you remember in 2011, when there were mass protests for months at the Wisconsin State Capitol and Democratic members of the Senate fled the state to deny a quorum for the Act 10 Bill?

Now, a report from the Department of Public Instruction finds that 1,700 potential teachers who finished an education degree in 2023-24 didn’t go on to teach in Wisconsin.

A Green Bay based roundtable discussed reasons contributing to the teacher shortage in Wisconsin. It’s no surprise that compensation was a major factor.

One statistic stood out. When considering inflation, since 2010, before Act 10, teacher compensation has fallen $25,000 in 2024. If you were fresh out of college with loans for undergraduate and graduate degrees, would you stay in Wisconsin to teach?

Mary Pat Dries

Brookfield