"It's been a been huge challenge," says Moore, an 8th grade science teacher. The pressure can be overwhelming."Īt Teneshia Moore's school in Southfield, Michigan, the lack of substitute teachers, along with increased retirements and attrition, has pushed more educators to their limits. We're fighting to make it through the year, through the month, through the week- for some of us just through the day. "But it is emotionally and mentally exhausting.We’re in survival mode from last year. "I always want to be there for my colleagues," she says. Sobia Sheikh, a high school math teacher in Everett, Washington, says she regularly begins her mornings reading emails from school officials requesting her to fill in for colleagues who are absent. Furthermore, 80 percent report that unfilled job openings have led to more work obligations for the educators who remain.
Pre-existing staff shortages have deepened during the pandemic.Īccording to the NEA Survey, t hree-fourths of members said they've had to fill in for colleagues or take other duties due to these shortages. It currently stands at 0.59 hires for every open position, a large decrease from 1.54 in 2010 and 1.06 in 2016. The BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey found that the ratio of hires to job openings in the education sector reached new lows as the 2021-22 school year started. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there were approximately 10.6 million educators working in public education in January 2020 today there are just 10.0 million, a net loss of around 600,000. "If we’re serious about getting every child the support they need to thrive, our elected leaders across the nation need to address this crisis now." Survival ModeĪccording to the U.S. “This is a five-alarm crisis," she continued. "And, it is preventing students from getting the mental health supports needed."
It is forcing them to give up their class planning and lunch time to fill in for colleagues who are out due to COVID," Pringle explains. "It is preventing educators from giving their students the one-on-one attention they need. These shortages are not new, says NEA President Becky Pringle, but the pandemic has exacerbated the crisis, and students are paying the price. However, the poll found that a disproportionate percentage of Black (62%) and Hispanic/Latino (59%) educators, already underrepresented in the teaching profession, were looking toward the exits.Įighty-six percent of members say they have seen more educators leaving the profession or retiring early since the start of the pandemic in 2020.Įxhausted and exasperated, classroom teachers and other school staff are under an unprecedented level of strain, made worse by recent dire staff shortages that have plagued school systems across the country. With more members like you, we’ll have a stronger collective voice that can help educators live better lives, so our students get the best education possible.
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