RESOURCES

 Sheffield College to close city's Peaks Campus to save money

A campus at a further education college in South Yorkshire is to be shut down in a bid to save
money.
Sheffield College's Peaks Campus will close in September, with a consultation involving 13 full-
time and 70 part-time staff already under way, bosses said.
The college was "committed to minimising any potential redundancies", they added.
A local councillor said the closure "would negatively impact local learners and the surrounding
area".
Most courses would be moved to the college's city centre site on Granville Road, a
spokesperson said.
In a statement, the college said the decision about the campus in Waterthorpe Greenway
followed "an internal review of the college estate".
 Student numbers drop
The campus, which was built in 1999 and extended in 2005, was "significantly underutilised
which is costly to maintain and run", it added.
"The situation is compounded by a tough financial climate for the further education sector
nationally, including a reduction in funding in real terms and surging energy costs.
"Student recruitment at Peaks has declined, with more students wanting to study at City
Campus."
According to the statement, a total of 776 students attended the Peaks Campus in 2014-15, but
by 2019-20 that number had fallen by more than half to 380.
About 300 students currently studied on the campus, the statement added.
The college said it was talking to its partners about future uses for the site "so it continues to
serve its communities".
A consultation process had started with students and parents about the closure, it said.
Lib Dem councillor Ian Horner said: "The decision to close Peaks Campus appears to be driven
by financial concerns, without fully considering the long-term consequences on the students,
staff, and the wider community.
"This campus serves as a vital educational hub and closing it would negatively impact local
learners and the surrounding area."
(https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-65544744)

Problems with teachers’ pay

Some possible reasons for teacher shortages include limited budgets after the financial crisis of
2007-2008 and low enrollment numbers in colleges and programs that train teachers. Data
from several states has shown rising numbers of teachers leaving the profession over the past
few years. Researchers say the teacher shortages are most severe in poor and rural areas.
Schools also report difficulties in hiring teachers for subjects like special education, math and
science.Teachers report growing workloads, shrinking independence or autonomy, and
increasingly hostile school environments.

Meanwhile, teacher pay has fallen behind that of college-educated people in other fields. The
Economic Policy Institute, a research group, said the difference between teacher pay and pay
for college-educated people in other professions reached a record 23.5 percent in 2021. Magan
Daniel, who at 33 just left her central Alabama school, was not persuaded to stay by pay raises.
It would take big increases to match neighboring Georgia, where the average teacher salary is
$62,200. That number comes from the National Education Association, or NEA, the nation’s
largest teachers union. Fixing teachers’ work culture and growing workloads would be a more
powerful reason to stay than a pay raise, Daniel said. The NEA said the average pay for public
school teachers in America increased two percent during the 2021-2022 school year. Average
yearly pay was $66,745 last year. However, inflation was around 9 percent at the time.

(https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/us-states-try-to-increase-teacher-pay/7085273.html)