Public schools staffing is on the brink of collapse
Erin Doherty
Sat, January 29, 2022,
The public school system is hanging by a thread as staff are stressed, burned out and thinking of quitting more than ever before.
Why it matters: Staffing shortages are leading school districts to look for "bodies in a room to babysit kids" as last-ditch efforts to keep their doors open, one education researcher told Axios.
Driving the news: Districts in Texas, Idaho and Colorado are asking parents to fill in as substitute teachers, while officials in New Mexico asked the state's National Guard to step in.
In Kansas, an emergency declaration eliminated college credit hours as a requirement for substitute teachers.
Staffing shortages are made worse by a waning substitute teacher force, many of whom left the profession during the pandemic.
"Substitute teaching is not a profession for the faint of heart," said Julia Kaufman, an education policy researcher at RAND corporation.
Plus, low pay, minimal benefits and the overall view of substitute teachers contribute to the sub shortages, Myrtle Washington, a veteran substitute teacher in D.C. Public Schools, said.
"A lot of substitute teachers did not think it was worth it, risking their lives, in this city, for $15 an hour."
The big picture: Principals are stressed, too. "This has been one of the toughest years for educators ever," one principal said.
"Regardless of how we categorized principals, about 75% to almost 90% of principals ... reported that they experienced frequent job-related stress," according to a RAND Corporation report out this week.
Between the lines: The stress levels among female principals and principals of color were especially stark.
Sat, January 29, 2022,
The public school system is hanging by a thread as staff are stressed, burned out and thinking of quitting more than ever before.
Why it matters: Staffing shortages are leading school districts to look for "bodies in a room to babysit kids" as last-ditch efforts to keep their doors open, one education researcher told Axios.
Driving the news: Districts in Texas, Idaho and Colorado are asking parents to fill in as substitute teachers, while officials in New Mexico asked the state's National Guard to step in.
In Kansas, an emergency declaration eliminated college credit hours as a requirement for substitute teachers.
Staffing shortages are made worse by a waning substitute teacher force, many of whom left the profession during the pandemic.
"Substitute teaching is not a profession for the faint of heart," said Julia Kaufman, an education policy researcher at RAND corporation.
Plus, low pay, minimal benefits and the overall view of substitute teachers contribute to the sub shortages, Myrtle Washington, a veteran substitute teacher in D.C. Public Schools, said.
"A lot of substitute teachers did not think it was worth it, risking their lives, in this city, for $15 an hour."
The big picture: Principals are stressed, too. "This has been one of the toughest years for educators ever," one principal said.
"Regardless of how we categorized principals, about 75% to almost 90% of principals ... reported that they experienced frequent job-related stress," according to a RAND Corporation report out this week.
Between the lines: The stress levels among female principals and principals of color were especially stark.
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