As students head back to school, a recent poll of teachers in Maryland found many are facing financial hardships. The poll conducted over the summer surveyed more than 28-hundred members of the Maryland State Education Association and found that in the last year 44-percent reported working a second job. With persistent reports of teacher shortages in the state, Association president Cheryl Bost says the poll illustrates why the state has difficulty keeping educators.

"This is another piece of information that shows why this job is very difficult. And it's hard to recruit and retain educators when nearly 50% of those surveyed work a second job that means they have less time to concentrate on their lesson plans, grading, talking to parents because they're trying to figure out how they're going to make ends meet."

The poll found younger teachers were more likely to work second jobs, with those younger than age 30 doing so at a 61 percent rate.

The poll found 52 percent of teachers reported taking on personal debt in the last year, which is a six percent increase over last time the poll was conducted in 2019. The poll also asked educators about buying supplies, and Bost says most teachers are doing that, too.

 "Our survey also points out that 90% of teachers go into their own pocket to bring supplies into the classroom. And that's to help with reading instruction, science instruction - trying to make education and learning fun for our students, that comes out of our own pocket. "

 The state has been working to address the teacher shortage with initiatives such as the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, which passed in 2021 and will raise the minimum teacher salary to $60-thousand dollars statewide by 2026.