MADISON, Wis. (WRN) — New data tracks losses in the teaching profession in Wisconsin.
A report from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows just fifty‑two percent of new teachers are still in K-12 public school classrooms by their eighth year. Retention is even lower among special education teachers, at just forty‑three percent.
The report also finds nearly thirty percent of newly trained educators never enter Wisconsin classrooms. State Superintendent Jill Underly says pay remains a key issue, noting mid‑career teacher compensation is more than twenty percent lower than in 2010, after inflation.
Underly warns without stronger state investment, Wisconsin’s educator shortage will continue to grow.