NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The requirements to become a teacher could change in Tennessee.
During a speech to the Cookeville Chamber of Commerce, Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton proposed creating a statewide two-year associate's degree program to help produce more educators.
Prospective teachers are currently required to have at least a Bachelor's degree.
Sexton pointed to the different levels of specialties and corresponding requirements in healthcare.
"Could we not set up our teachers in the same way?" Sexton asked during his speech.
According to the Professional Educators of Tennessee (PET), colleges are not producing enough graduates to replace teachers leaving the field.
"Many teachers are now coming from alternative programs," PET said. "It could be beneficial to conduct more frequent evaluations of these programs."
PET said this summer that teachers are on the edge of a crisis.
"In Tennessee, some schools and districts are in trouble," the organization said. "There aren't enough teachers."
In February 2025, the advocacy organization reported that nearly 45% of public schools have teaching vacancies, averaging two per school. About 4% of nationwide teaching positions are unfilled, with a statewide vacancy rate of nearly 2%, according to PET.
The lack of mandatory teacher certifications in private schools is the only reason educators aren't in a full-blown crisis, PET said.
Teachers in public schools are required to hold a certification, but private school educators often aren't, according to the education group, noting that some private institutions do call for them, PET said.
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Besides minimum education restrictions, PET outlined a number of other factors deterring teachers, including:
Salary:
The Tennessee education organization said that Volunteer State teachers aren't making enough money to live.
The minimum salary for a Tennessee teacher in 2025 is $47,000, placing some Midstate teachers below the living wage, according to the MIT Living Wage Calculator..
The calculator says that the living wage in Davidson County before taxes is $52,858, and it lands at $45,527 after taxes. And in neighboring Williamson County, those figures are at $62,309 before taxes and $53,379 after.
In Nashville, the starting pay of a certified 10-month teacher is $53,610.04, according to MNPS's website. And Williamson County Schools report $51,102 as their starting pay for teachers.
But those numbers may soon change, with an increase on the horizon for the state-wide minimum teachers salary.
The minimum salary for teachers in the Volunteer State has been increasing over the last few years following a law passed by Gov. Bill Lee in 2023.
The Teacher Paycheck Protection Act raises the minimum teacher salary to $50,000 by 2026, an increase from $35,000 in 2019. The minimum salary also increased in 2023 ($44,500) and in 2025 ($47,000).
'Lack of respect':
Teachers and staff are facing increasingly disrespectful and even hostile environments at work, according to PET.
School districts have reported multiple instances in recent years of students assaulting teachers and staff in Tennessee.
A teacher at Antioch High School was pepper-sprayed in 2023 after he took one of his students' phones after asking them to put it away. The teacher said the student exited the room, knocked on his door and then pepper-sprayed him.
"I've had students cut my hair, I've had students spit on me," the teacher told WSMV at the time.
And at the start of the 2025 - 2026 school year, a student and a teacher got into a physical altercation in Memphis over a cellphone.
'Lack of support and resources':
PET said new teachers face greater challenges as expectations mount.
"They enter the profession full of hope, only to find themselves in classrooms lacking resources and support," PET said.
New teachers get overwhelmed by the demands placed upon them, the organization said.
"This burden leads to stress and burnout, endangering not only their well-being but also that of their students," PET said.
A teacher shared with PET that they felt trapped in a no-win situation.
"This sentiment echoes through the halls of education, revealing a profound dissatisfaction that extends beyond compensation," PET said.
"To tackle these issues, we need a thoughtful approach. We must strengthen induction programs to give new teachers the guidance they need. We must reduce the administrative weight they carry and ensure they have the resources to succeed. By fostering a culture of respect and support, we can keep current teachers and attract new ones."