LANSING, Mich. — Nearly half of Michigan teachers say they are considering leaving the profession within the next year, according to a new statewide survey that points to continuing concerns over pay, workload and support in schools. The Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative says 45% of teachers surveyed are considering leaving the profession within the next 12 months, while 56% are considering leaving within five years. The findings come as Michigan schools begin a new academic year and districts continue working to recruit and retain teachers. Despite the concerns about staying in the profession, the survey found that teachers remain highly committed to the work itself. Ninety-one percent said they love and are dedicated to their jobs. But that commitment does not necessarily translate into plans to remain in the classroom. The survey found 25% of teachers are “strongly considering” leaving within the next year, a figure Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative CEO and founding partner Jack Elsey described as a warning sign. “(We) cannot ignore the flashing warning signs,” Elsey said in a release. “When a quarter of our educators are strongly considering leaving in the next 12 months, it is a clear call to action for policymakers, district leaders and communities to address the structural pain points they face daily.” The survey was conducted online by Impact Research and UpOne Insights from May 29 through June 5, 2026, involving 300 Michigan teachers. The results were weighted to reflect the statewide demographics of educators. Researchers reported a credibility interval of plus or minus 5.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The survey also found that the desire to leave increases with teachers’ experience. Among teachers with fewer than five years in the profession, 40% said they were considering leaving within five years. That figure increased to 59% among teachers with five to 15 years of experience and reached 69% among teachers with more than 15 years in the classroom. For teachers already considering leaving, compensation was the most frequently cited factor. Forty-eight percent pointed to low pay as part of their reasoning. Other major concerns included feeling undervalued, cited by 37%, and a lack of support from school administration, cited by 32%. Another 30% pointed to long hours, including time spent grading and handling administrative responsibilities. CJ Walker, a teacher at Concord Community Schools in Concord, Michigan, said the results reflect pressures educators experience beyond simply teaching in the classroom. “The data confirms what we see in classrooms every day, as teachers are pouring their hearts into this work, but love for the job does not alleviate the challenging workload and financial pressures we face,” Walker said in a release. “If we want to reverse this retention crisis, we must value our teachers both via compensation and support.” The survey also presents a more complicated picture of how teachers view their compensation. Overall, 70% said they feel fairly compensated for their work, although only 32% strongly agreed with that statement. When comparing their pay with people working in other professions, 64% said they believe they are paid fairly, with 31% strongly agreeing. And 68% said their current salary gives them the same level of financial mobility as peers in other professions when it comes to major financial decisions such as buying a home, saving for retirement and investing. Just 27% strongly agreed. Pay was not the only issue identified by teachers thinking about leaving. Respondents also cited a lack of flexibility in curriculum, political pressures surrounding education, difficulties managing challenging student behavior and what they described as an excessive focus on testing. Twenty-one percent cited retirement as a reason they were considering leaving, while 16% said they were interested in pursuing another career. The findings suggest Michigan’s teacher-retention challenge is not simply a question of whether educators like their jobs. The overwhelming majority of teachers surveyed said they remain dedicated to the profession, yet many are simultaneously weighing an exit because of compensation, workload, administrative support and other pressures. That gap between commitment to teaching and willingness to remain in the profession could create another challenge for Michigan school districts as they work to maintain staffing levels in the years ahead. The survey’s margin of error also means the precise percentages should be viewed as estimates rather than exact measurements of every teacher in Michigan. Still, the results offer a snapshot of sentiment among the 300 educators surveyed and point to significant concerns about long-term teacher retention. The post Poll: Nearly Half of Michigan Teachers May Leave Teaching Within the Next Year appeared first on WOWO News/Talk 92.3 FM and 1190 AM. ...read more read less