‘The cost is us’: Educators, administrators offer ways to boost low teacher morale – The Boston Globe

Teacher morale in Massachusetts is among the lowest in the country, but could be improved by adding more support staff, offering greater flexibility around working hours, or higher pay, according to a group of educators and administrators at a panel hosted by The Boston Globe on Thursday.

A survey from Education Week, an education news outlet and co-sponsor of Thursday’s event, found that teacher morale in Massachusetts for the 2024-2025 school year was negative 10, on an index from negative 100 to positive 100. That’s below the national average of positive 18, and just four points ahead of New Hampshire, the state with the lowest teacher morale score, according to the survey.

“I was surprised by it, but at the same time, it feels very realistic,” said Serge Moniz, a teacher at Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. “We have high student outcomes in Massachusetts. That comes at a cost, and unfortunately the cost is us.”

Panelists suggested reasons for the low score — from high cost of living to cold weather in Massachusetts — and offered ideas on boosting morale at the school and district level.

Demands on teachers’ time have been growing, especially since the pandemic, panelists said. In addition to managing classrooms, teachers are increasingly responsible for bus or hallway duty and juggling changes to their students’ lives.

“We’ve been in a place in our country where there are often national events or political climate or world pandemics that — in addition to the regular things that happen in the lives of students and families — create additional pressures for our students,” said Sujan Talukdar, principal of Underwood Elementary School in Newton.

Almi Abeyta, superintendent of Chelsea Public Schools, said recovering from COVID and dealing with the threat of ICE is a particular challenge in her district.

During the pandemic, Chelsea Public Schools reinstated a mask mandate in January 2023, after previously lifting its mandate, and the district was “hit so hard,” Abeyta said. More recently, immigration crackdowns have partially contributed to a decline in enrollment for the district.

“The everyday presence of ICE — we feel it, I feel it, my parents feel it, my students feel it,” Abeyta said.

Teaching in one of the most expensive states in the country can be especially draining, panelists said.

Luisa Sparrow, a special education teacher at Oliver Hazard Perry School, said when she taught in Texas, her salary was lower than in Massachusetts, but her cost of living was “way, way” lower. To afford Massachusetts, and sending her two young children to day care, Sparrow lives far from her school, commuting almost three hours round-trip each day.

While teaching cannot offer hybrid work like many employers post-COVID, Sparrow said more flexibility to leave school when her students do, so she could pick up her own children from day care earlier, would be helpful.

“Historically, teaching was viewed as a very flexible job, and now, and I think this is a little bit of a shift since COVID … teaching is not very flexible,” Sparrow said. “My child is the last kid at day care pickup every single day.”

Moniz, who is also co-president of his school’s teachers union, said paid parental leave was a major part of bargaining for the last contract renegotiations and an important part of teacher morale.

“We have to be able to prioritize our own babies, too,” Moniz said.

Superintendent stability and having adequate support staff can also increase morale and attract young people to teaching, panelists said.

Sparrow, who has taught in Boston Public Schools for nine years, said she’s worked under four superintendents and four principals.

“Once you have enough time to sort of get your sea legs with maybe a certain direction, then something different comes along, and having to adjust to that can be tricky,” she said.

Para-professionals, who help with classroom management, special education support, or bilingual instruction, can alleviate some of the extra stress on teachers. Having adequate substitute coverage can also allow teachers to take time for mentorship or professional development opportunities, said Talukdar, the principal from Newton.

“I have an amazing paraprofessional,” Sparrow said. “I could not do my job without her.”

Abeyta said her district is working on a pipeline for paraprofessionals to become teachers, and teachers to become administrators, which helps to promote teacher retention.

“I think that is so important — investing in the people that are sitting in front of us,” she said.

Katie Muchnick can be reached at katie.muchnick@globe.com.