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this compact spiral-bound book is your guide to the federal government with contact information for every member of congress, including bios and committee assignments, contact information for state governments and the biden administration cabinet. order your copy at c-span.org or scan the code with your smartphone. every copy helps support c-span's nonprofit organization. >> good morning. we have becky pringle, president of the national education association, the nation's largest teachers union, representing 3 million teachers and school personnel. thank you for joining us. >> good morning. it's good to be with you again. >> we are going to be talking about the teacher shortage and other issues facing public school teachers. nea, how many members you have, anything else you want to share with us.

guest: i would love to talk about the nea. the nea is made up of over 3 million members who are teachers and nurses and school counselors and retired educators. they are support professionals. those who have made the choice to become teachers, we represent educators all over this country and around the world. we represent those who teach our servicemen and women across the world. we advocate for education professionals. every single student, everyone has what they need and what they deserve so they can live. we wake up every day fighting for our students, collaborating with our parents, and with our allies to make sure that our students have the resources and support they need so they can be successful.

host: let's talk about the teacher shortage. we hear so much about it right now. you recently called it a five alarm crisis. how serious is it? what could be the impact on classrooms and students? guest: we've been sounding this alarm for almost a decade and a half. the reason we started talking about it was because we were noticing the decline in the number of students in college who were choosing to go into the profession. we were seeing so many teachers, especially in that zero to five years of teaching who were leaving the profession. our black and brown teachers were leaving the profession. we were becoming less and less diverse. we started talking about this a decade and a half ago. the pandemic worsened it.

the conditions it educators found themselves in it, what they were being asked to do at a time of crisis in the country, was just overwhelming. the nea did a survey. we were shocked honestly that 55% of educators said to us they were planning to leave the profession. we are working with them and allies and leaders to address this reality, not just right now. this is a chronic problem. we have to address it systemically. that's what we're doing. host: we are going to get to some of your calls and just a moment. i want to give you the numbers because they are a little bit different. if you are a parent, we want you to call (202) 748-8000.

if you are an educator, dial (202) 748-8001. anyone else who doesn't fit either one of those categories, 8002. you can still send us a text message at (202) 748-8003. we've seen some research about the teacher shortage. it talks about being different when it comes to certain states, certain regions. we've heard that the shortage could be different in suburban districts than it is in rural or urban districts. can you talk a little bit about the variations with the teacher shortage and what is driving that? guest: one more thing i would add to the list you gave, we see shortages in certain

disciplines, special education is always at the top of the list. we see shortages in elementary education, science and math. what i want to be clear about is this shortage of educators is really about a shortage of resources. it's about a shortage of professional pay. it's about time to plan it, time to have those connections with our students. it's about a shortage of respect. that's what we are hearing from reporters -- educators all over the country. depending on what we've seen it tied to, it's whether or not that state or that community has invested in their public schools. in places they have not invested in public schools for decades,

we see those shortages even higher. i want to make clear, i taught middle school science. this is that time of year where educators are prepared to go back to school. some of already started. they are full of excitement and hope. what they are hoping for is this country lives up to its promise for students and that it respects and honors the important work they do. host: you talked about this shortage and its variations. can you talk about some of the solutions the nea and other organizations have put forward to address the issues? guest: this is a complex problem. there is not just one answer. we do know this. when educators talk to me about respect, they mean a couple of things.

the respect of them as professionals, giving them professional pay. they know that if they are going to do the job they love, they have to be able to take care of their own families without taking two or three jobs. we have to address that issue. we also have to address the reality that so many of our students are coming to school with mental health issues. we don't have the counselors and the nurses and the mental health professionals to address this issue. we know our parents need help. they can surround their students with the support they need. we are working in collaboration with communities to ensure that we have those resources. those are the kinds of things we are focused on. when we advocate together, then

we don't see those shortages. there are dangerous levels we see in some communities. host: we are going to go to the phone lines. if you are a parent, dial (202) 748-8000. if you are an educator, (202) 748-8001. on the parent line it, we have chris from kentucky. go ahead. caller: good morning. i want to tell you, i've seen you on here before. i can tell you are a long-standing administrator. i can see you looking over your glasses and making children do what they are supposed to do. my question is there is a group

now i'm paying attention to. they are the moms for liberty. they are a right wing organization of women, predominately european women who are doing everything they can to take over control of the school system. i want to know what the nea is doing. how is the nea and teachers and diminish traders having to deal with groups like this who are coming from outside trying to promote their agenda as opposed to what's best for all the children trying to get an education in our system. guest: thanks for the question. i had the opportunity to visit educators and parents and students in your home state of kentucky.

what they are doing there and what we are doing across the country is making sure that we are lifting up our voices and collaborating together to ensure that educators can teach the complete history of this country, that they can be treated as the professionals they are, they are making decisions that will actually ensure that every single student has with they need to succeed. we will not be distracted, we will not be distracted by those politicians or those groups who want nothing more than to destroy our public schools. that universal public education system that is at the foundation of this democracy. we are calling on everyone to stand with us and to fight against anything that threatens our students rights, all of

them, to a high quality universal public education that reflects the vast and important diversity of this country and make sure that every one of them has the support that they need and deserve. host: let's hear now from class lane -- kathleen in mississippi, calling as a grandparent. caller: good morning. the reason i'm calling, we seem to have different people putting words in our mouths that are not true. we know every time they say

something, it is wrong. we might be fighting a recession, who caused the recession? about our teachers, about our teachers, the christian schools are getting $5,000. the bus drivers are not. they bring our precious children to school. don't believe everything you hear. we are the deepest red state. host: how does the nea work with leaders of states that are republican controlled states? the nea is considered more left-leaning. how do you manage that dynamic

in states like mississippi? guest: i want to acknowledge something our caller just said about our bus drivers. they work in our schools and ensure our students have what they need. they are unsung heroes. she is correct. we need to pay them a living wage. they are a part of our school family. we work with states, every single state, whether they are a red state or a blue state or a purple state. we have educators in every single district, all across the country. our educators are concerned about the fact that people in elected positions are not making the kind of decisions that are going to make sure our precious children have the resources they needed, all the educators they need it, that they have bus

drivers to take them to school, that they have health care, investing in our climate during this country and around the world. they are lifting up their voices as trusted professionals in their communities and asking others to join us. making decisions about who is in those elected positions, whether a school board or the white house. when i started teaching, i did not have a clue that it was my responsibility to be a mom and making sure people were making decisions about my kids, heard my voice, made the death -- best decisions. it's important that we advocate for the investments that are needed in our public schools. we do that in every single state

across the nation. if we talk about at our students need and deserve, that is a message that is not a red or blue message. that is a message every parent wants to hear. host: let's hear now from elizabeth calling as an educator from new jersey. liz? go ahead. you are on now. caller: i agree largely with what the guest is saying. i am a current retiree from the state of new jersey school teacher. i'm in any eight retiree member. this problem predates the pandemic. it predates probably 2008 when

the crash came. we were facing underfunding of schools. i think particularly in the right to work states, mostly red states, the best thing any teacher can do their if they want to improve their professional position in those states is to organize their workplace. they have to lobby to get the right to organize probably. they have to get somebody there who is advocating for teachers. when you advocate for teachers, you're also advocating for the classrooms where they work as teachers. there is no excuse. we are sitting here today. florida thinks that combat veterans with should be marching

through classrooms? that is ridiculous. it shows how little regard they have for the teachers of that state and for our nation. first on the agenda in the red state, teachers need to organize. you're not going to get anywhere without. thank you. host: let's go to mary from wisconsin calling on the parent line. go ahead. caller: i was wondering if they could put the money into having a psychiatrist come in to the school to protect the children, to let them know that if they are being abused at home they have someone to talk to. if they are being sexually or physically abused, there's no way they are going to be able to

pay attention in school. they are going to be there to hide but not to learn. if they are encouraging those children, they don't talk to you. if the child asks the question, they respond back by hissing at them. teacher should not allow them to do that. they should have the courage to talk, to use their voice. that's the only way they can protect themselves. you are allowing them to sort of be in a pedophile state. they are afraid to talk. also, use the money to be doled out by the state and nothing government. they allow kitty litter in

bathrooms and kids are defecating in kitty litter boxes. they are giving puberty lockers. host: you have any thoughts about some of these statements? guest: we absolutely need more resources for until health services. one of the things we encourage and work with educators and parents on doing is developing plans to use the american rescue plan money that we got from the by demonstration. it's a historic investment. we said that part of that funding needed to go to ensuring more counselors and health professionals, making sure we have more training so that we can support our students. i want to go back to your previous color and thank her for her longtime service and being a member of the new jersey

education association. we have collective reckoning laws. educators earn more money. we don't have as much of a shortage. they are advocating for mental health resources. we are using the collective bargaining to advocate for schools. host: today is the first day of a teachers strike in ohio. the nea on its twitter account posted we join in solidarity with our columbus union family as they strike for better learning conditions, smaller class sizes, well-rounded curriculum that includes art, music, pe. what is the union doing for these teachers?

what exactly do you want to happen. guest: we are so proud of our educators in columbus. it's always a hard decision to go on strike. when you are in a situation where we are not being afforded the opportunity to bargain in an environment that allows us to fight for what we know our students need and deserve, that's what the educators in columbus are doing. when you don't have that, sometimes we have to take action as they did last night. they voted to go on strike. they have 3 million educators all over this country who are walking that line with them in spirit.

it's a hard decision to make. what the national education association brings to columbus is that solidarity, that collective support so that they can continue that fight, so they have safe schools and resources the students need, the educators have what they need to do the job they love. that's what the columbus educators are fighting for. they will hold that line until they get what the students and schools need. host: we are talking with becky pringle, the president of the national education association, the largest teacher union. you can call, parent style -- parents dial (202) 748-8000. educators, (202) 748-8001.

let's take some more of your call. sarah is on the parent line from virginia. caller: good morning. i'm a grandmother. my children were educated in the public school system. i have 10 grandchildren and seven of them were educated in the public school system. three in catholic school. i went to catholic school. i have a daughter-in-law who just retired as a biology teacher after 30 years. i have two granddaughters who are in college right now studying to be educators. i have three nieces who are educators. i am astounded and shocked at what has happened with regard to going after teachers, school board members, pta members, it

is disgusting. my question to the mothers who gathered in loudoun county is if you think you could do a better job teaching, given -- give them the keys to the classroom and say be my guest. they buy their own supplies because there is not enough money or the school does not allocate enough. they sacrifice time away from their own families to educate your children. you should be thankful for that. if you think you could do a better job, come right on in the classroom. when i had children in school, i was a teachers aide. i got involved. i saw with the teachers dead. i supported them and i still support them.

host: thoughts for that collar? guest: thank you for supporting and continuing to support our public schools. thank you for the role you played in making sure that members of your family went into the education profession. no educator should be in a position where they are being harassed or threatened. they are teaching the true history of this country, no educator should be harassed or threatened because you are demanding the resources and support and investments in our students. no educator should be harassed or threatened because they are doing the job they love. we know that environment is adding to the crisis in education. there are people who are making the decision to not continue

because they don't feel supported or respected. what the caller said is what everyone needs to do. it is our responsibility to fight for our public schools, to fight alongside our educators, to work with parents who support us. we need to make sure their voices are lifted up in this conversation. i want to talk about her student voices. we have seen them rise up and demand more and better. when our students are rising up and winning schools to be safe and funded, we want to make sure we have the opportunity to learn about the history of this country. we know we have to do what they are asking us to do. host: our next caller is robin from new york on the educator

line. caller: i am a private school teacher through covid. i agree with the last collar about it being impossible for teachers to teach because the parents think they know everything. i disagree with you on one point. minority and poor children wind up being heavily drugged, to the point they can barely function. they are so heavily medicated with anti-psychotics. they are sitting there drooling. mental hygiene is used on poor and inner-city kids. to control them in a way that doesn't happen to rich kids and the side effects are devastating. that is a problem.

there is no therapy for poor and minority children. there is heavy dragging that causes seizures. the last caller was right. it's getting difficult to work as a teacher. it's gotten really out of control. guest: when we talk about making sure that our students have mental health resources, what we are talking about is making sure we have professionals in our schools and communities. we are talking about making sure educators have the kind of professional development and training and resources to meet the needs of the societal challenges that find their way into art schoolhouses. it was only made worse by this ongoing pandemic.

the covid pandemic disproportionately affected black and brown and indigenous communities. the equity that has been built into every social system disproportionately impacts. we know that more people got sick from an died from covid in our lack and brown communities. parents lost their jobs. more students didn't have access to the kinds of technology they needed to continue their learning. as we think about the mental health crisis, we have to address the inequities that are built into the system and make sure that our students are getting the kind of therapy and counseling ongoing that they need, not just while they are in school, but as they are working and living in their communities

as well. host: i want to pivot just a little bit when we talk about pain teachers and helping young professionals stay in education, a lot of talk is about the student loans, student debt. the most recent pause on debt repayment is set to respire. the secretary of education was asked about if there would be another temporary extension. >> we've been really focused on making sure we are protecting our students and borrowers. $32 billion from day one. august 31 is a date many people are waiting to hear something. we've been talking about this. the american people will hear within the next week or so.

i don't have any news to announce today. the american people hill -- will hear directly from us. host: when you're talking to young teachers, how important is this issue? what do you think should be done? guest: it's an absolutely important issue for not only our young teachers. what people don't necessarily know is we have educators who have been teaching for a long time who cannot tire because they have so much debt. we are working very closely with the department of education. we have been advocating for a prominent -- permanent loan forgiveness for the last three years. before the election, it was one of our main issues. would they be willing to forgive these loans?

we have worked on extending the pause on paying those loans off. we need to expand that. under the trump administration and that betsy devos administration, we did not live up to our promise that if they worked 10 years they would be forgiven their loans. during that administration, they ended up owing more money. we need to forgive the loans. we know it not only affects teachers, it affects public service workers all over the country. if we do that, it is not only an investment in our schools and students, if we don't do that and we lose more educators, that impacts our students. we also know that for people to make that choice to go into

public service, it is important that we forgive these loans and help the economy. it will make sure that families have what they need. it will ensure that other students will make that choice to follow us in the education profession. we will fight for that. i'm encouraged by the secretary and the administration saying they are hearing this. we are waiting to hear what they are proposing. we will continue to fight for student loan forgiveness. host: let's hear now from a retired educator from massachusetts. caller: good morning. thank you for your service. i am a 30 year veteran teacher. i retired four years ago. i have my own business. i'm an author. i think about the shortage of

teachers. my son works in maine as an administrator. my sister-in-law went back to school in her 60's and became a teacher in florida. she recently told me about the shortage. my question is, how can retired teachers help with the shortage without jeopardizing the retirement benefits? when you go back in to the system, your retirement benefits have to be reworked. i have many retired teacher friends who would love to help with the shortage. how can this be done? is there a way to involve retired teachers who still want

to help? guest: yes. there are some states that have made changes to their laws so that retired teachers are not penalized if they come back and help. that is a solution put in place. the one thing i want to caution about is short-term solutions are not thinking about long-term solutions. we are working hard to do that. we have to think about this copper of lee. we have to make sure that we attract and retain young educators. that means they are respected as professionals. that means they have good health care. all of those things combined are the things we have to do to make the change.

one thing i want to caution about, some states are lowering their requirements for people who are standing in front of our kids and teaching. we do not want to see those standards lowered. we do not want to send a message that anyone can teach. we know that isn't true. we don't want to lower standards. we do want to address some carriers, making sure there are not barriers that are preventing us diversifying our profession. we don't want to lower those standards. we know our students deserve the highest qualified teachers. we have to do what we must to attract them and keep them in the profession. host: we are still taking your calls. on the parent line, carrie is in texas. caller: thanks for taking my call. i've got two things here.

as far -- we spend more money per student than any country in the world. i think we would be doing good financially. i don't know if the money is going somewhere else in the system. my second thing is it seems like globally, we rank near 40th when it comes to important subjects like math and science. that's all i have. host: your thoughts? guest: we know that we have not invested in public education for decades. all of us watched in horror at of years ago as state after state joined the movement. we saw teachers living in their cars. we saw support staff that could not feed their families.

the light was shining on the fact that we were not taking care of our students. we know that when the pandemic hit and we saw that, we did not have the ventilation. all of that was decades of disinvestment in our public schools. we also know that we have in issue of equity that we have never addressed. when we as a country are compared to other countries, when we unpack those comparisons, the gaps that exist are the gaps in investment in making sure that we are funding our schools equitably and that all of our students, students living in poverty who have special needs that are lgb to --

lgbt to plus, that they have the resources that they need. we started addressing it as one of the civil rights legislation's in the late 60's. we have gotten further and further away from dealing with the inequities that are built into every social system. we as a country must live up to the promise that when we say all students, we mean all students. host: we have a tweet. he writes: i would agree -- assume you don't agree with getting rid of

the teachers unions. guest: it's important to have that collective voice so they can fight for what is right. it is absolutely essential that as a country, we address the growing inequities in this country that impact our students coming to school every day. one of the things we are fighting for is community schools. the reason we have font for last investments is because we know that for our students, we have to address all of the issues they bring to our schools. we can't do that ourselves. we have to make sure that our community understands it's the shared responsibility to address

the needs of all of our students. we have to address health care needs. too many of them live in food deserts. we have to a drees -- address the homelessness. we have to address the fact that we have students every day who come to us and don't have basic needs. if they are not met, we know they cannot learn. we as educators can't do that alone. we are fighting for community schools so they are the hub of that community. we are addressing the issues in that community. we are doing it together for our students, sharing that responsibility. that is what we need in every single school in this country. host: we have a tweet.

any final thoughts about what you just heard? guest: i talked for a long time. i talked to educators from california to kentucky. i have never been more proud to be an educator than i was during the years of this pandemic. they stood up, they stood in gaps for our students and parents and communities in ways i knew they would do. that's what educators do. with the pandemic

i am so proud of what they did and how they so quickly changed to virtual learning and the instructions going to end person, hybrid, all kinds of things to try to ensure that our students continued to learn. yes we had gaps in learning, yes we had gaps that impacted and continue to impact our students. and yes we saw educators stand up in ways they never thought they had to but they did it. they tried to make sure that they had hot spots so they could continue to learn. this country has got to address those kinds of inequities we have are -- we know we have in our system.

we as educators across this country will continue to stand up and demand the schools, the resources, the support that our students and never educators need and deserve. host: we have been chatting with president of national education association. announcer: c-span's "washington journal." every day, we are taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day, and we discuss policy issues that impact you. coming up, discussing the school choice movement as the 2023 school year picks up. in the recent fbi search of former president trump's mar-a-lago home.

watch washington journal live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span or listen on the free c-span radio app. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, texts, and tweets. >> a discussion now comparing the covid-19 responses of sweden and the united states. while sweden's response was not perfect, they say that keeping their schools open during the pandemic was a better option. the cato institute host this event. this is live on c-span now, our free mobile video abbott also c-span.org. >> many