New poll reveals nearly half of Maryland educators hold several jobs, in debt

MARYLAND – “We want our educators to be completely focused on our students and their success but nearly 50% of them work a second job,” Bost said.

44% of Maryland educators hold at least one extra job just to stay afloat, that’s according to a recent study by the Maryland State Education Association. It’s a number up nearly 3% from 2018. “This is teachers, counselors, bus drivers, and more. Many of them also have a second, third, or fourth job depending on what job they hold in the school system,” Bost said.

The Maryland State Education Association surveyed nearly 3,000 public school employees apart of their network.  MSEA President Cheryl Bost said that’s on top of the 90% of teachers who purchase things like classroom supplies out of their own pockets. “It’s really not just the fluff of what we want to do, it’s also the basics. Its whether we can do a science experiment, whether we have enough books for our students to read, and even paper. Many teachers still don’t have paper and that’s just ridiculous in this timeframe,” Bost said.

Bost added that these factors also have a big impact on recruitment and retention. “Almost 40-50% of our educators leave after the first five years. We have to work better at not just getting them in the classroom, but giving them the support and resources they need to stay,” Bost said.

The state has already started up several initiatives like the Grow Your Own Program and the Maryland Educator Shortage Reduction Act to help crack down on the amount of debt aspiring educators accumulate. That number now sits at over 50% according to that survey, which is why Bost says more will need to be done. “It’s a system issue. It’s one that we must address legislatively and dealt with at the local school system sites,” Bost said.

Bost says investments like the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which puts a teacher’s starting pay at $60,000, will also be a big help to attract aspiring educators.