Nearly two months into the school year, South Dakota teachers say they’re feeling the weight of extra work brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The South Dakota Education Association recently reached out to more than 11-hundred educators across the state. 76% of the respondents indicated they have seen an increased workload since the beginning of the school year.
SDEA executive committee president Loren Paul says while many districts are doing full in-person learning, some parents have opted not to keep their child in class during the pandemic, meaning teachers will have to do more online planning to meet that student’s needs.
“There’s a misnomer out there that teachers just want to teach online and they don’t wanna do the work. And quite frankly, teaching online is more work than teaching in person.”
Paul worries about how the morale issue will affect staffing levels, given the fact that the state was already seeing a teacher shortage.
“I think this will be a big factor in people leaving the profession.”
He says that includes teachers who are close to retirement, but might decide to make this their final year.
But, Paul says there is some room for optimism. The state recently announced $75 million in federal CARES Act money was being distributed to help schools deal with COVID challenges. He notes some districts– including Pierre– are using some of the funds to provide a bonus to teachers.
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