Will teachers abandon sinking states?

The Providence Journal runs a Stateline.org-written piece warning that fiscally stressed states may find it hard to retain teachers:

Debbie Johnson got her teaching degree from Michigan State University, but recruiters convinced the 23-year-old to start her career in Georgia, where the weather is warm, the cost of living is lower and the schools offer more resources, such as projectors and interactive wireless pads….

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Michigan is 1 of 31 states facing a multimillion-dollar budget gap this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. That makes Michigan’s teachers prime poaching targets of out-of-state recruiters from states such as Texas, Georgia, Nevada and Wyoming, where school-age populations are growing.

The article doesn’t say this, but my guess is that the problem is retaining good teachers — the kind with enough energy and ambition to consider moving to another state for a job with better working conditions.

Massachusetts, and all of New England, are among the states with major budget gaps.