CONNECTICUT, USA — Schools across the country are scrambling to find teachers and staff as applicant pools are shrinking and people are leaving the profession in growing numbers.
In Connecticut, there are hundreds of teacher and paraprofessional staff opening ahead of the new school year.
"I'm in my 32nd year as an educator. We've definitely seen periods of time where it's gone up and down, but I have never seen it this bad," said Christine Carver with the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents.
"I can think back to when I was a starting teacher and you had to fight for a position," said Joslyn DeLancey, Vice President Connecticut Education Association.
Factors driving the shortage include the pandemic and learning loss, burn-out, retirements, people leaving the profession and salary.
"Teachers, administrators, even superintendents, the level of stress associated with the job today is significantly different than it has been in the past," said Carver.
Shortage areas identified by the state include special education, math, science, history, bilingual education, and technology education.
"There's always been what I would perceive as an urban versus suburban divide in terms of the ability to get and retain staffing," said Carver.
The issue has prompted a multi-pronged response from multiple levels, including the state.
"There's some more flexibility now in terms of certification," said Patrice McCarthy with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education.
"We also have an apprenticeship program where we're using funds to support paraeducators in becoming educators themselves," said Sinthia Sone-Moyano, the Connecticut Department of Education's Deputy Commissioner for Educational Supports and Wellness.
Districts are also taking their own steps and getting creative with recruitment.
"I was in a movie theater with my family and I saw other districts actually advertising when you're sitting there on the screen," said Carver.
Educators said the key to long-term success is long-term support.
"The program to support paraeducators becoming certified was initiated 15 years ago and then the state funding for it was eliminated. What we need to do is have a sustained initiative because otherwise, we're going to keep coming back and having this conversation," said McCarthy.
The 2024-2025 state budget approved this year includes significant funding increases for local schools. However, it did not set aside money specifically for educator salary increases. The CEA advocated for an increase last session and will continue to do so.
"I think a lot of times we rely on teachers' goodwill. It's for the students so they'll do it. And that's true, we'll do pretty much anything for our students, but that comes at a personal cost," said DeLancey.
"A huge part of this is teacher retention. Hearing the teachers and what they're saying that they need," said Sone-Moyano.
DeLancey said districts making investments are seeing success with filling openings.
"A district like Waterbury, they were something like 200 open positions. They were able to fill about 100 of those because they amplified their salaries," said DeLancey.
At the federal level, Sen. Richard Blumenthal is calling for Congress to step in on the issue. He wants federal lawmakers to expand student loan forgiveness for educators. He’s also calling for a boost in funding to the teacher quality partnership grant program, which trains educators.
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