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A growing teacher shortage means that there aren’t enough teachers to greet kids at schools around the nation.
When COVID hit, a lot of teachers retired or left. Schools furloughed others, and new ADP Research suggests many of those furloughed teachers just aren’t coming back. Schools have ramped up hiring efforts and raised wages, but the trend is worsening.
Kansas State University data recounted more than 36,000 vacancies in 37 states for the 2021 through 2022 school year. Last year, that group increased by 35 percent to more than 49,000 vacancies.
Low wages also continue to be a concern for the field. It’s notable that shortages are worse in poor districts where teacher salaries tend to be lower, which in turn harms student education even more in these areas.
Sometimes, filling slots means using untrained long-term subs or moving educators out of their area of expertise.