Editor, Gazette-Journal:

It’s a crisis! It’s a “teacher shortage.” Here is why.

In 2008/2009, the Virginia legislature reduced education funding by $800,000,000 in today’s dollars, due to economic downturn. Little has been put back. This affects salaries, staffing, maintenance and program availability.

Now come “charter schools.” Will they take money from underfunded public school budgets?

Fewer enter the teaching profession. Teacher graduations are down as much as 30 percent. Higher paying jobs are getting more of the best and brightest. The new teacher supply is insufficient.

Some states pay better than others. Virginia teacher’s salary was as much as 16 percent below the national average. Disparity is worse in rural areas. Fewer teachers come here and stay.

Teachers are retiring in greater numbers, partly due to the aging of the work force. But, many are leaving early siting aggressive parent relations, underpayment, long hours, insurmountable workloads, lack of r...