WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – There aren’t enough teachers to fill America’s classrooms. The Biden administration wants to help solve the problem.

First Lady Dr. Jill Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited schools in Tennessee and North Carolina on Monday to talk about teacher shortages and how to solve them. They highlighted federal efforts to start apprenticeship programs and raise teacher salaries.

“Recruit. Respect. If we want educators to do their best work, we need to give them the support they deserve,” Dr. Biden said.

Teachers’ union supporters welcome these measures at the federal level. Mary Kusler of the National Education Association says local leaders need to do more, too.

“Most of these decisions are made at the local level, so we need to see communities standing up for educators,” said Kusler.

She says that means efforts to improve teachers’ working conditions and raise their salaries.

“We continue to expect more and more from our educators, but we don’t always give them a living wage to live in the communities they teach,” Kusler said.

Randy Weingarten, president of the American Teachers Federation, agrees. She adds that investing in teachers is critical to the long-term future of education.

“Send the message to young people that they want you to become a professional. That you will be valued,” said Weingarten.

Both proponents say leaders need to show more respect to teachers.

“We need the help of politicians, not slander and ridicule,” Weingarten said.