State representatives are looking for ways to keep teachers in North Dakota

Bismarck, North Dakota – The state of North Dakota still needs teachers.

That’s the message from officials, who claim there is a teacher shortage in the state.

Education officials in North Dakota claim that retention problems associated with teacher pay are the root cause of the shortfall, which is also observed in other states.

Last summer, Governor Doug Burgum announced a state program to “focus on teacher recruitment and retention.” Teachers advocacy group sources, meanwhile, assert that, while salaries have increased over the past several years, teachers typically put in longer hours away from the workplace than workers in most other mainstream career fields.

According to a recent North Dakota United survey, 88% of teachers think that starting in the 2023–2024 academic year, retention will be a problem.