And that’s on top of the fact that teacher pay was already relatively low.

Their salaries, most negotiated for years at a time, haven’t kept up with sharply rising prices.

Approximately 30% of teachers leave within their first five years in the classroom.

According to high school art teacher Megan Anzalone, the number of students quarantining this year makes her job more challenging.

“The burnout factor is real,” Catherine Fink of Longmont, Colorado, says of teaching. She’s starting her first year of law school.

The size of the teaching workforce didn’t change significantly in Arizona, but pandemic-related stress has been a big factor for those who decided to quit.

Some programs are offering bonuses to try to lure teachers back to the classroom this summer.

Younger teachers may also be more inclined to leave and even switch career paths entirely.

A poll from the Pew Research Center found more than half of Americans think schools shouldn’t reopen until teachers are vaccinated.

A new Rand survey found stress was the top reason why teachers leave the profession, even before COVID-19.