By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

While education is a priority, finding a good teacher can be difficult, said Danielle Medina, Marion High School’s first-year counselor.

“Education is hard to fill because there are so many expectations, guidelines, and rules to follow,” she said.

Marion hired seven teachers for the new school year, but three were positions with new hires last year.

Sometimes teachers get better job offers elsewhere or they realize their role isn’t a proper fit, Medina said.

“Spending a year here and a year there to find where you’re happy and can also pay the bills is just a priority of this generation,” she said.

The roles teachers hold outside the classroom can also influence their decision to stay or leave, Hillsboro math teacher Rachel Hein said.

Hein is the school’s lone new teacher. Part of the attraction to the job was teaching at the same school her children attend, Hein said.

“Three of my kids will be in the same building as me, and that’s exciting to see them in the school setting,” she said.

The two teachers preceding her were each at Hillsboro two years before leaving. Their coaching positions played key roles in their decisions to move on, Hein said.

“When a better coaching position comes along then you move,” she said.

While just starting her first year at the school, Hein’s ties to Hillsboro have her confident in the position.

“I’m not going to be a coach and I’m invested in the community, so I have no intention of leaving after a couple years,” she said.

In the case of Medina and her husband, the move to Marion after one year teaching in their home state of Arkansas was spurred by a better offer.

“The school we were at was good,” she said. “It was a good opportunity, but I got the call from here and it was just a better opportunity.”

Another contributor could be the retirement of many teachers, which leaves young staff to make adjustments, Medina said.

“Most educators have been in their positions for 30 or 40 years,” she said. “Now they’re retiring, having to bring in a new generation of teachers. Somebody who’s new to it won’t always know is it’s the right occupation, or if that’s the school they want to be at.”