When the Cost of Staying Outweighs the Call to Teach

by Nate Eklund

Teachers enter the classroom for purpose, not profit. We all know this. However, purpose has its limits when rent rises faster than wages and “making it work” becomes another part-time job. Because too many educators have second and third jobs. Not because they are educators. But so they can stay educators.

Let that sink in for a minute. They love the profession so much that they’re willing to do whatever it takes just so that they can continue to serve their students and communities. 

Thus, it’s rarely passion that fades first because education naturally attracts people who care about what they do. What wears them down is the slow erosion of the conditions that once made their care feel sustainable, whether from within or from outside sources. 

Insights from thousands of educators who have participated in Vital’s Educator Workplace Experience provide quantitative proof of this erosion. Overwhelmingly, many teachers say they love their students and colleagues. They want more in their connections with administrators. And they consistently report that community and family support is lagging. And that’s being a bit polite.

The details obviously vary from district to district, but the pattern is more or less the same. Paychecks aren’t keeping pace with the cost of living. In turn, more educators are quietly asking how long they can keep doing the job they love without putting their own stability at risk.

According to the Economic Policy Institute’s 2025 report, teachers now earn nearly 27 percent less in weekly wages than other college-educated workers. Even with benefits included, the gap remains wide and continues to grow fastest for early-career educators. At the same time, rent and mortgage costs have risen more than 45 percent since 2019. When those numbers are placed side by side, it becomes clear why so many good teachers are reconsidering their future in the classroom.

Affordability also looks different from place to place. In small towns, the issue isn’t always high prices but limited housing. Teachers talk about long commutes because there’s nowhere nearby to rent, or they have to compete for the few options that do exist. In other areas, essential workers like teachers and other public servants are being priced out of the very communities they help hold together. 

It must also be stated that there’s a matter of choice. Not every teacher wants to live in the same neighborhood as their students’ families. Some want space to separate their personal and professional lives, which is understandable given how public the role of teacher has become. And let’s be honest, that freedom should exist. However, when both cost and comfort narrow the options, the tension can catch up, and it becomes harder to see teaching as sustainable in the long term.

Some regions are beginning to respond. In Minnesota and Kansas, education agencies and local governments are piloting shared-use housing programs for teachers and other public employees. These aren’t luxury developments. They’re the first steps in practical efforts to shorten commutes, lower stress, and make staying in the profession possible. The evidence is still emerging, but one thing is clear: stability grows when people can afford to live and be happy where they work.

Most importantly, we know housing and pay will not change overnight, but the experience inside a school can. When teachers trust that leadership understands the weight of the day, the pressures outside the building do not disappear, but they can become more manageable. That’s not a cost-of-living raise, but if we are not intentional about keeping a teacher, then what are we doing?

A school is part of a community’s foundation. It is where habits of learning take root and shared norms are formed. If we lose the educators who lay that groundwork, we are left trying to build a future without a stable base.

I know we can do better for our teachers. I refuse to believe otherwise.

Every day Vital has the privilege of watching our partner districts make simple but strategic shifts in thinking that can have profound impacts on the daily experiences of staff and students. Small things. But the kind that matter. A school where everyone is connected and supported isn’t a dreamscape utopia. It is very real. It just takes focus and diligence. 

Finally, teachers don’t stay because everything is easy. They stay because, even on their hard days, their work feels meaningful and their presence matters. It should matter.

Now, take a closer look at the cost of staying, not just the cost of leaving. How does affordability show up in your district? What could your system do today that would make a teacher’s work feel more hopeful tomorrow?