"Teaching is not the kind of job where it's over when the bell rings, because teaching is not what you do. It's who we are," said Lori Osborne, a sixth-grade teacher at Zehnder Ranch Elementary in Elk Grove.
"It just came naturally," she said of teaching.
"I know it's been five years, but especially coming out of COVID, we really became all those things -- the teacher, the social worker, sometimes the parent. That does weigh on you," Osborne said. "Teacher burnout is a real thing."
Further, more than 90% are spending their own money on their students' needs, while 81% cannot keep up with the rising cost of groceries, housing and childcare.
CBS13 asked SchoolsFirst FCU, the largest credit union in California: What's their mission? After all, they only serve educators and their families.
The credit union offers a range of programs to help teachers financially, like offering no-interest loans and grants for needed classroom supplies and helping teachers plan for the summer months' pay gap.
Gatejen was a teacher for 36 years in Sacramento and Elk Grove. She says SchoolsFirst has put her first for decades.
The California Teachers Association also found that 84% of teachers cannot afford to live near the schools where they work.
"Unfortunately, I've heard of teachers living in their cars. I've heard of teachers that lived so far out, the commute was so long, it wasn't worth the drive," Osborne said.
Today, the credit union is working to fill the housing gap, offering home loans for teachers with a down payment as low as 5% and no private mortgage insurance.
It's shining a light on supporting educators as they support students -- which protects the future of California classrooms.
For more information on SchoolsFirst FCU and its programs for teachers, visit their website.
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