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al., 2022), the navigation of technology-mediated human connection (Henrikson
et al., 2022), and the increased responsibility placed on teachers to care for their
students (Robinson et al., 2022), particularly as schools struggle to find qualified
school nurses, psychologists, and counselors (Whitaker et al., 2019). The current
reality of K–12 schooling demands that teacher preparation programs equip teachers
to manage their increased responsibility emotionally in a way that protects their own
well-being and alleviates the likelihood of professional burnout.

Dr. Karyn E. Miller is an An Opposing Viewpoint and the Counter-Argument
assistant professor at
Texas A&M University- Despite the importance of teacher well-being, one could argue that foregrounding
Commerce in the teacher SEL (a) will place an unnecessary strain on already limited school resources
Department of Curriculum and (b) prioritizes a politically charged, philosophical perspective that runs counter
and Instruction. Her to the purpose of schooling, particularly as defined by accountability policies.
research focuses on Economists argue that public education funding in the United States is inequitable
school culture, gender and insufficient (Allegretto et al., 2022). The underinvestment in education leaves
and leadership, education
policy, and teacher many districts unprepared and without the resources to respond to emergency or
preparation. Dr. Miller has unexpected circumstances (Allegretto et al., 2022). Amid the pandemic, districts
published in numerous reallocated resources to fund infrastructure and ventilation updates, student safety,
journals, including and remote learning technology, mostly funded by an influx of federal dollars (Bryant
Teachers’ College Record, et al., 2022). As districts struggle to address learning losses, spending priorities have
Comparative Education focused on tutoring, extended school days, summer school, and funds for support
Review, Online Learning,
and Gender, Work, & staff and professional development (Lobosco, 2021). Yet, federal stimulus is short-
Organization. lived, comes with restrictions, and fails to address the systemic issues of underfunded
public schools (Allegretto et al., 2022) that force districts to invest in immediate
Karyn.Miller@tamuc.edu needs, such as resources and infrastructure, rather than allocating funding to long-
term institutional planning like the inclusion of SEL programming (Osher & Berg,
2017).
Arguably, SEL, particularly for teachers, is simply not a feasible spending priority
for many districts (Lobosco, 2021). Even if it were, SEL has become a politically
charged point of contention with parents, schools, and states fighting to keep it out
of the curriculum (Anderson, 2022; Becky & Marley, 2021). SEL has been targeted
as worthless, unnecessary, and dangerous and is even considered brainwashing by
some groups (Kingkade & Hixenbaugh, 2021).
We address each of these opposing viewpoints in turn. The argument that
cost is an impediment to supporting teacher SEL must be considered within the
broader context of teacher turnover. According to The Learning Policy Institute, it
costs districts roughly $20,000–$30,000 for each teacher who leaves the profession
and an annual total of approximately $8.5 billion nationally (Hillard, 2022). In
contrast, estimates suggest that schools and districts spend approximately $640
million annually on SEL products and programs (Krachman & Larocca, 2017). The
focus of these programs is largely student SEL rather than teacher SEL. However,
systematic and holistic SEL initiatives, such as CASEL’s partnerships with school
districts, can support teacher and student SEL in relatively cost-effective ways. On
their website, CASEL (n.d.) provides sample budgets from three participants in their
“Collaborating District Initiative.” One lower-cost model budgets approximately
$40,500, or $3 per student served, for district-wide SEL programming that includes
adult SEL development. Support for novice teachers’ SEL development may be
particularly important for building a sense of belonging and mitigating early-career
challenges (Flushman et al., 2021).

22 The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin: International Journal for Professional Educators