Capital Region Teacher Shortage May Cause Schools To Enforce Remote Learning

Schools in the Capital Region are welcoming students back for the 2021–2022 school year, but not without difficulty. The Capital Region is suffering from a severe teacher shortage.

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School districts across the state are suffering from a teacher shortage, and many believe that the COVID-19 pandemic may be partially to blame. The National Education Association says that approximately 30% of its members have left the teaching field due to the risks associated with COVID-19.

According to CBS Albany, Turina Parker, the Assistant Superintendent of Educational and Support Programs for the WSWHE BOCES district, says that some teachers may have run into childcare issues that may have prevented them from returning to school for this academic year.

Officials with the Albany School District say that they are looking to hire teachers in all positions. Superintendent for the Albany School District, Kaweeda Adams, says that her district is working hard to fill the vacancies throughout the district.

Ms. Adams said, “In some of our high need areas where we would typically see challenges in hiring, we are still seeing that. For example, in our math and sciences, we’re seeing some of those challenges. We also have support positions that we are looking at as well.”

COVID-19 protocol requires children to be spaced apart. That means less children per classroom, which would require additional teachers in the additional classrooms. The districts simply do not have enough teachers to fill the additional classrooms.

If you are certified as a teacher and debating whether you should return to the classroom, this might be the right time for you to step up and help educate our children.