The Growing Exodus of Educators: Exploring Nebraska’s Teacher Shortage
In a heartfelt moment during an elementary school orchestra class, Ella Ricker found her calling in education. Inspired by her orchestra teachers at Lincoln Public Schools, who made music an enjoyable learning experience, she aspired to spread the same happiness to others through teaching.
Ricker cherished the enthusiasm her students showed during school concerts, but this joy was overshadowed by an overwhelming list of duties that made achieving a healthy work-life balance nearly impossible. After dedicating nine years to Lincoln Public Schools and a total of 14 years to the profession, she decided to leave teaching last May. Initially, she turned to pet-sitting for income, which eventually became her full-time occupation, sometimes generating more revenue than teaching.
Ricker’s departure reflects a wider trend among Nebraska educators. An analysis by Flatwater Free Press of state Department of Education data revealed that, as of May 15, only 27,840 of the approximately 45,500 licensed teachers in Nebraska were actively working in classrooms this school year. This indicates that about 40% of certified teachers are absent from teaching roles in public or private schools, a figure that includes retirees, those who have relocated, or those who have advanced to administrative positions. However, it also accounts for many like Ricker who have exited the field.
Conversations with 13 former teachers who left the profession uncovered shared experiences of unsustainable and high-stress work environments, compounded by expectations for unpaid work and inflexible schedules. Teachers reported challenges such as diminishing student attention spans, additional learning mandates, and a lack of support from parents or school leaders.
The former educators Flatwater Free Press spoke to have transitioned into diverse fields, including higher education, business, therapy, self-employment, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Most expressed reluctance to return to teaching without significant changes.
Richard Ingersoll, a former high school teacher and current professor of education and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania, commented on the issue, describing teaching as a “relatively high-quit, turnover line of work.” He noted, “The conventional wisdom is long that we have these shortages, that we don’t produce enough people … and then you look at the data and you find that, well, there’s actually a whole lot of people out there. The problem isn’t so much that we don’t produce enough (teachers), it’s that we lose too many.”
Ingersoll posed critical questions: “The issue is, well, can we keep them in the first place? But also, what does it take to get them to come back in?”
