What will it take for the state legislators to recognize and fully acknowledge the major education dilemma in Utah?  As the student-age population continues to rise, the supply of teachers continues to decline.  We don't need another group of public and higher education leaders to look at how to increase the number of teachers.  It is simple: increase teacher pay.   It is simple labor supply and demand economics.  Increase the salary, and supply will increase.  It is nice that online institutions are available in the state to provide a flexible alternative for interested individuals to receive their teaching licensure, but that flexibility alone won't be enough to draw people into the field. 

The bottom line is that not many want to be a teacher in the state because it is near impossible to raise a family on a teacher's starting salary in the state of Utah.  I love interacting with students, and when I started my university education I wanted to teach.  I thought about teaching high school for about 10 seconds.  However, it just didn't seem feasible, so I abandoned that idea and switched to business--for no other reason than the pay.  I suspect that there are many others who have gone through the same process--who may prefer to teach but economic reality forces them to do something that will provide for their family instead.

It is time for state leaders to finally accept that teachers need to be paid more.  It is the only real way to increase the number and quality of teachers who will be teaching the rising generation.