The current shortage of Oklahoma high school math teachers is because of low average salary, not lack of production of teachers, according to an ongoing study.

A recent teacher education supply and demand study done by the Council on Professional Teaching Standards states new college graduates with a math major can earn $40,000 to $50,000 a year with a computer company.

A math major choosing a teaching career in an Oklahoma public school would earn only $24,060, according to the study.

Michael Langenbach, College of Education associate dean, agreed low average salaries are the reason for the shortage in hiring teachers to work in Oklahoma.

"It's not a lack of production," Langenbach said. "We have a significant amount of math and science majors (in Oklahoma). The problem is that they are not all going into teaching."

The study also states only 54 percent of the graduates trained to be math teachers in Oklahoma become math teachers in Oklahoma schools. This translates into more than 700 Oklahoma certified math teachers who are not teaching in Oklahoma schools.

Langenbach said many of the teachers who are not from Oklahoma often go back home or see better opportunities elsewhere.

"Some go to Texas because that is where they are from," Langenbach said. "Others, for example, look at the Fort Worth school district and say 'not only will I make a decent salary, but they will pay for me to get a master's degree'."

"There aren't that many districts in Oklahoma that will do that," he said.

The same study reports Oklahoma ranks 45th in the United States with an average teaching salary of $30,187. The national average is $38,436.

Elementary education junior Brianne Taylor said although she is not planning to teach in those areas of pay shortage, it is unfortunate that Oklahoma ranks so low in teacher-based salaries.

"Fortunately for me money really isn't an issue," Taylor said. "I just want to teach. If I based my decision on money, I would probably look into other majors."

Other areas of shortage highlighted in the report are high school language arts, social science, art and music.
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