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Tonya Papanikolas Reporting Utah, it seems, has always had a hard time recruiting and retaining qualified teachers. They're often lured to neighboring states by promises of more pay.
How many teachers, are we losing? Just what is the difference, in pay? We've been researching the numbers, and they may surprise you.
Just a few weeks ago, Utah schools still had 63 teaching positions open. The state simply doesn't have enough teachers to fill all the jobs.
It doesn't help that neighboring states offer a lot more.
Jim Cox is a high school science teacher.
Jim Cox, Teacher: "You've got to love to teach, and I love to teach."
Like most teachers, Cox didn't pick the profession for money. But he quickly learned the financial hardships that come with the job.
Jim Cox, Science Teacher: "The summers, I would work at the high school, at Tooele High School, and I would clean carpets."
Cox couldn't afford to take his family on vacations. But that has changed since he moved to Las Vegas this year.
Jim Cox: "Difference in salary for us coming down here to Vegas is about 15 thousand. Fifteen to 20 thousand for us."
Teacher Sharon George also left Utah this year for more money in Vegas.
Sharon George, Left Utah for More Money: "My salary increased by about a third."
George previously taught at a private school in Provo. When she wanted to move to a public school, Utah's offers were just too low.
Sharon George, Left Utah for More Money: "Most of my family and friends are still in Utah. I would love to live there and be around them, but I can't make it as a teacher there."
Cox and George are among 1,060 Utah-educated teachers and administrators working in Nevada public schools.
John Barlow, Nevada principal & district recruiter: "I hire teachers who I believe are the most competitive, who have the skills that I'm looking for."
John Barlow visits Utah universities a few times a year to recruit teachers for the Clark County school district in Nevada. He offers every teacher coming in to the state a 2-thousand dollar bonus. And Nevada isn't the only state luring Utah's teachers away with money.
Two years ago, after a lot of lobbying, the state legislature in Wyoming decided to make education a top priority. For teachers in Cheyenne, that meant a 10- to 12-thousand dollar raise.
Tami Britt is a former Utah math teacher who knows all about addition. When she moved to Cheyenne, she added a lot to her salary.
Tami Britt, Math Teacher: "I did not leave Utah for a few thousand dollars. It was 20-thousand."
Britt had taught math for 11 years. So how much more are new teachers making? We dug up salary information for the three largest school districts in Utah, Nevada and Wyoming, to compare.
First-year teachers with a bachelor's degree in Utah in the Jordan School District make $27,859. In Clark County, they're making $33,073. And in Cheyenne's Laramie school district, they make $40,485.
Tami Britt: "You have to teach in Utah many, many years to get up to the 40-thousand level, and they can come fresh out of college and get paid that right off."
Now take first year teachers with a master's degree. In Jordan district, they make $30,821. In Clark County, $38,403, and in Laramie County $48,485.
Ray Timothy, Deputy State Superintendent of Education: "It is a crisis right now here in Utah."
Utah's Deputy State Superintendent of Education says quality teachers are already hard to find. If the salaries don't change, the situation will ultimately hurt the state's students.
Ray Timothy: "We'll have unlicensed people in the classroom. We'll have warm bodies. We'll be hiring people who have a pulse."
State education officials say the outcome is really in the hands of legislators. But they told me many congressmen and congresswomen have expressed a desire to give extra money to education this year.
And it's not just teacher salaries that could benefit. Tomorrow night we will compare education inside the classroom between Utah and surrounding states.
