While a school district can file a complaint to the state, only SBEC has the legal authority to sanction a teacher. “My mental health is greater than the need,” she said. Teachers, for the most part, are asked to be selfless and put others ahead of themselves and their families. When Crosswell was making her decision to leave, she said it boiled down to putting her interest first. Teachers were out, substitutes weren’t available and instead districts were asking parents to come in and watch the children. Texas saw two COVID-19 surges this school year, which pushed school districts to the limit. He believes it’s become an issue of health, safety and respect. But Capo believes these teachers aren’t leaving in the middle of the year and potentially risking their certification over more pay. When talking about Texas’ teacher shortage, experts usually point to teachers being overworked and underpaid.
“Every single one of those individuals have made a conscious decision to say they no longer give a damn about their teacher certification because conditions have gotten that bad,” Capo said. Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers, said school districts that are losing more teachers this school year are finding it increasingly difficult to replace them in the middle of the year. “But again, I think ISDs feel like they have limited tools, and they are under a lot of pressure at the moment.” The surge in reports could also have a negative effect on people wanting to enter the field as they will see it as a bad environment, Exter said.