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Sacramento Teachers To See Projected Growth At All Levels

Things are looking up for new teachers in the Sacramento area. The Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences found in a recent study that a skyrocketing number of teachers are retiring from California state school districts. That, along with a heavy growth of new students, makes California an in-demand state for educational hiring. The peer-reviewed study supported a need for new K through 12 teachers across the state, however, the research finds an increased need in particular regions.

The study continued on, placing Sacramento county in the list of top ten counties that will drive up the demand for new teachers, claiming a 60 percent turnover rate of its current workforce in 2015 to 2016. That's all due to foreseen teacher retirement and population growth. Sacramento will be slated to hire over 7,000 new teachers to offset the retirement trend during that time. That trend is the highest in California, with only Riverside County coming in close. Sacramento has the strongest number of potential retirees, coming in at a whopping 45 percent.

An examination into new student enrollees finds an uptick in enrollment consistently since 1996, with the mid 2000s and 2014 to 2015 being the highest yet.

This trend isn't only limited to secondary school. The study cited findings by California Committee on Teacher Credentialing noted a -12 percent drop in available, credentialed teacher at the postsecondary level. This means that secondary teachers may be leaving for the greener grounds of a college, university or technical school.

The institute's findings are very clear: California needs more teachers. Upward mobility in the educational field, a growing population and a trend towards retirement makes a career in education an almost sure thing in California. Whichever level of teaching one chooses, the employment outlook is better than its ever been in our state.

Christopher Millard is a freelance writer and cultural critic whose music reviews can be found on Examiner.com. He also works as a publicist for Valence Communications Group and is a contributor to the health and wellness magazine, Hybrid. Chris currently resides in Sacramento, California.

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