Two Valley teachers said they hope a state task force aimed at addressing teacher staffing shortages across the state will address multiple concerns.

The Teacher Vacancy Task Force was formed earlier this month. It originally consisted of two educators, but more teachers were added into the task force after a social media backlash.

"The only way to fix the issue was to add more teachers, which is great, and we hope they will really speak their mind,” McAllen AFT President and teacher Sylvia Tanguma said.

RELATED: Gov. Greg Abbott wants task force to examine state teacher shortage

Tanguma added that she hopes adding more teachers to the task force will lead them to communicating their concerns to Gov. Greg Abbott.

One of the concerns is the need for higher pay, which another Valley teacher said is being overlooked despite more teachers doing more work than ever.

"This year with the pandemic, a teacher’s job has become twice as hard because now you're dealing with your regular job on top of trying to get all those students who are not on grade level up to par," Tanguma said.

Watch the video above for the full story.