In partnership with Fresno Pacific University and six school districts throughout Tulare County, the year-long program housed within the county鈥檚 California Center on Teaching Careers hopes to curb shortages that have left schools throughout the state with student to counselor ratios at 1:461, nearly double the . 

Since its launch at the start of this school year, the has provided one on one support to a small pilot cohort of twelve counselors and looks to expand statewide. Counselors in training earn a master鈥檚 of arts in school counseling and a $45,000 living stipend while being mentored by experienced counselors in their region. 

鈥淭hrough this pathway, we’re truly able to grow our own, which means preparing individuals of our own communities who grew up here, who know parents 鈥� students of our own schools, to then be part of our system,鈥� said Marvin Lopez, the Center鈥檚 executive director.

The program is hands-on, requiring 1,200 hours of clinical training and field experience, 400 hours beyond the required amount to obtain a credential. 

Like other residencies to boost teacher pipelines, the model aims to recruit a more representative pool by eliminating the financial barriers and loans professionals often take on to enter the field. 

Graduates of teacher residencies, which the SCR program has been modeled after, stay in their school districts at much higher rates than those who have entered through traditional or other alternative pathways, 鈥渟tabilizing鈥� the force, according to the . The pools they recruit are also more racially diverse. 

This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Why launch this residency now, and what’s at stake without it? 

Marvin Lopez: I’m going to take you back a decade. In 2012, we began looking at residency models, specifically for teachers, across the nation. We spent six years looking at models in California, Chicago, New York City, to see what are best practices and spend time with some universities that have been running teacher residencies for some time. 

We realized we needed to bring a pathway like that to our area 鈥� we’re in this central region of the state in California, near Sequoia, Yosemite, Fresno, Bakersfield. It鈥檚 very agricultural, rural, low-income with many high needs schools. We realized that not only do we need a model like this for preparing teachers, but also mental health professionals 鈥� school-based social workers and school counselors. We tackled the entire ecosystem of our school. 

Through this pathway, we’re truly able to grow our own, which means preparing individuals of our own communities who grew up here, who know their communities, who know parents. The students who were students of our own schools to then be part of our system. 

To your question of why, when you look at the student ratio of school counselors and students in our area, it’s 1 to 460+, which is double what is recommended nationally. There’s a gap that we鈥檙e trying to close and bridge. By having this pathway in place, it’s allowing us to not only recruit from local talents, but also prepare them in a way that gives them a full year of clinical experience. The doesn’t lie.

What challenges did you all come up against before launching, and what did you do to overcome them? 

As a new pathway, [it required] a lot of informing and educating school leaders about the benefits, and sharing retention data about residencies. I wouldn’t call it a challenge, it was a learning experience. 

How might this residency impact what you all are seeing with regards to the youth mental health crisis, particularly as you mentioned that this county you’re serving is predominantly high needs, schools that, as you mentioned, have large shortages of mental health support staff? 

We’re looking at the entire ecosystem of our schools and the workload that teachers have, specifically after the pandemic. The silver lining is that a lot of mental wellness issues came to light and the public are more open to conversation. It’s now more important and obvious that we do need more services; school counselors play a big role in that ecosystem as well as social workers. Providing another part of the support that our students need in the classroom, that’s the impact that we see. We’re providing more wrap-around support to our schools and students by preparing teachers, social workers, and school counselors through our residency model. 

I‘m wondering about the scale of this, what’s interest been like since you launched in September and how large of a cohort do you hope to recruit this first year? 

Initially our plan was to have a small pilot cohort of 8. We launched with 12, and now we’re getting requests from districts for next year already. It looks like that might double, and it’s because of the needs of our districts and the value they see added by having residents at their sites and the impact they’re already having with their students. 

Our goal is to actually scale up and expand our program throughout the state. We’re working closely with a couple of county offices around this work, and we are always willing to share best practices as well as guide and provide support to any other regions that are looking to implement a similar program. 

If you had to boil it down, what are three things that you think that folks who are taking on this kind of work should keep in mind? 

First, having a vision that’s student centered. Second, building and nurturing partnerships with your districts and universities. And ultimately, providing quality mentorship for the residents, working alongside district leadership to make sure that those individuals are the right fit for a school. 

Is there anything I haven’t asked you but that’s on your mind or just that you want me to know? 

Beyond the living stipend for residents, we also provide a stipend for the mentors that’s $4,000. That’s unique because they’re spending quite a bit of time throughout the year. It’s important to recognize the efforts that not only the residents are putting into this, but the mentors who play a huge component in this process.

Statewide, Oklahoma public schools are experiencing a shortage of bus drivers 鈥� and they鈥檙e struggling to adapt.

School districts of all sizes are having to get creative with their responses. Coweta Public Schools has had to keep students waiting to be picked up or taken home until other routes finish. Covington-Douglas Public Schools and Clinton Public Schools pay $35 an hour, and both have had positions open since before this school year.

Guthrie Public Schools has to pay overtime to their drivers for after-school events. Beggs Public Schools has had to combine routes, resulting in some that are more than two hours long.

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StateImpact analyzed every public school district in Oklahoma and found that of the 400-plus schools with hiring listings accessible on their websites or that answered a superintendent survey, over 40% showed open driver positions. About a quarter of the 80 surveyed superintendents said they or other school administrators drive a bus.

Sentinel Public Schools superintendent Jason Goostree is one of those. Sentinel is a small, rural district in western Oklahoma, about 120 miles from Oklahoma City. Most days, Goostree drives routes to and from school. He said he didn鈥檛 expect to drive buses as a superintendent and doesn鈥檛 think it will end anytime soon.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where you feel like you鈥檙e responsible for everything that happens in the district,鈥� Goostree said. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 kind of, if this is what needs to happen to make sure things go smoothly, then that鈥檚 what you鈥檙e doing.鈥�

He recently met with his staff and rolled out a pitch for more field trip drivers. Being so far from a city center means it鈥檚 a non-starter for Sentinel to recruit drivers who don鈥檛 already work for the district or from the church across the street. A few teachers have their bus driving licenses, but he said it鈥檚 unfair to them and their students to pull them from their classrooms.

鈥淚f we have a field trip鈥� you can鈥檛 start yanking people out of their jobs all the time,鈥� Goostree said. 鈥淪o I got one person, for sure, out of that meeting that said she鈥檚 going to do it, and I鈥檓 working on a second. My goal was three, but if I can get two more people by the beginning of next year, that will help quite a bit.鈥�

While rural schools find unique challenges with recruitment, larger schools are also feeling the pinch.

Despite a recent staff pay boost, yearly step raises and district-provided benefits like health insurance, Stillwater Public Schools had to cancel all out-of-town field trips for the rest of the school year because it didn鈥檛 have enough drivers. Assistant Superintendent of Operations Bo Gamble said they still have six to eight positions open.

鈥淭rying to balance getting students where they need to be for curricular needs and wants, there鈥檚 just a trade-off that you have to make,鈥� Gamble said. 鈥淣ot having the capacity to manage all of the trips 鈥� we had to make a decision on which trips needed to be focused on.鈥�

Gamble said field trips during the school day are especially difficult if the bus doesn鈥檛 leave and return in the window between morning and afternoon routes. He said it鈥檚 slowly improving since COVID hit, but the local workforce pool isn鈥檛 back to normal.

鈥淚n my opinion, specifically in Oklahoma 鈥� we鈥檝e lost a lot of our workforce to [cannabis] grow farms. There鈥檚 a large capacity for that workforce. And I think everybody鈥檚 being impacted by [a workforce shortage],鈥� Gamble said. 鈥淲ith COVID, it was just kind of a perfect storm. 鈥� We鈥檙e starting to come back from it 鈥� but we still need people.鈥�

When drivers aren鈥檛 there, teachers step in

Activity sponsors 鈥� like band directors and coaches 鈥� are also getting behind the wheel. Surveyed schools had varying policies about paying these teachers more to drive their students to contests and games 鈥� Stillwater, for example, pays them an hourly rate. Nearly all surveyed schools, though, require or strongly encourage their activity sponsors to get bus driving licenses.

But adding hours of driving onto an already taxing day for coaches and directors can present safety concerns.

Hunter Hanna was a band director at Valliant Public Schools in southeastern Oklahoma. After a full day of classes in the fall, he would drive his students to and from football games several hours away and contests the next day that lasted all day.

鈥淭hose little side things on the highways that err when you hit them? Yeah, those are definitely much-needed,鈥� Hanna said.

He said he鈥檚 been so tired driving back late at night that he makes wrong turns, which adds more time to the trips. Mid-trip stops were a must 鈥� he said he had to get some fresh air and stretch his legs to stay awake.

鈥淗ighway hypnosis is one of the things they talk about in bus driver training because, I mean, seeing all these dark roads and just nothing on them鈥� it was pretty bad,鈥� Hanna said.

Before getting his bus driving license, Hanna had to coordinate a patchwork of vehicles to get his band students to activities. There was a minibus that didn鈥檛 require specific licensure, a school vehicle and parents driving their personal minivans. To avoid having to finagle that, he made the call to get his license.

Hanna鈥檚 district didn鈥檛 require him to, and it paid for training and testing. Band director Whitney Callen鈥檚 district, Newcastle Public Schools, also doesn鈥檛 require activity sponsors to get bus driving licenses, though she said she was asked in her interview if she would. Several band directors and coaches who spoke to StateImpact for this story reported the same.

鈥淚 explained that at my previous district, it was not an expectation because our head director was very clear about 鈥� his staff would not drive because of the amount of hours that we worked as band directors,鈥� Callen said. 鈥淎nd they seemed a little bit put off by that.鈥�

She said she agreed to get her license 鈥� on the stipulation that she would not drive on especially long days.

鈥淎nd they were like, 鈥極h, for sure. We definitely always get drivers for our directors if it鈥檚 a long weekend,鈥欌�� Callen said.

Callen experienced unexpected medical issues that kept her from getting her license this year, but she watched the head band director drive those especially long days the district had said it would prioritize finding drivers for. Her colleague downs energy drinks and has asked her to sit behind him and talk to him so he stays awake.

鈥淭he school district did not follow through on that. And so when I saw that, I was like, yeah, I鈥檓 not getting my CDL because this is not a safe environment for students or me. I shouldn鈥檛 have that pressure,鈥� Callen said. 鈥淪o it does make me feel guilty, but at the same time, it makes me feel confused 鈥� why is this even something that we put on people or ask them to do?鈥�

As the shortage of drivers persists, districts are filling in the gaps with teachers like Hanna and administrators like Goostree. They鈥檙e also upping pay, canceling trips, packing buses, doubling up routes and staggering start times.

Bo Gamble at Stillwater Public Schools said he thinks they can get staffing levels back up before the start of the new school year. The district advertises, holds hiring events and provides incentives for current employees. And true to form, he made a final pitch at the end of his interview:

鈥淚f you know anybody, we鈥檙e still hiring. We need drivers,鈥� Gamble said. 鈥淚 may be a little bit biased, but I think Stillwater Public Schools is a great place to work 鈥� Stillwater鈥檚 a great place to be.鈥�

This 聽was originally published by聽. StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma鈥檚 public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

Gregory Hardin is always in demand.

He鈥檚 a full-time substitute teacher in a state with a shortage of adults to fill in for absent educators.

Hardin, of Shawnee, said he鈥檚 had no trouble finding openings four to five days a week since he started substitute teaching in November 2019. What initially was a way for Hardin, 25, to get classroom experience while studying education in college has become a full-time job.

鈥淚鈥檓 always getting a call,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would say there鈥檚 not really much of a difference that I would notice whether it would be this year or last year or two or three years ago when I first started subbing.鈥�

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While some schools have increased wages, 73% of districts in the state say they still anticipate a shortage of substitutes this school year, according to a survey by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

COVID-19 heightened demand for substitutes to a critical level, but school leaders say there was a shortage even before the pandemic.

鈥淎s long as there鈥檚 a teacher shortage, there鈥檚 going to be a substitute shortage, as well,鈥� said Aaron Espolt, superintendent of Shawnee Public Schools.

Daily pay rates for substitutes have grown in Shawnee, Moore, Edmond, Putnam City, Norman and Oklahoma City schools since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

The largest Oklahoma City-area districts now offer between $85-$125 a day to substitutes with a teaching license and $70-$110 for those who are uncertified. School leaders say they choose a daily wage their district can afford that鈥檚 competitive with what their neighbors offer.

Hardin said daily rates should increase even more to $125-$175 to ensure a livable wage for eight hours of work. He said workers won鈥檛 consider substitute positions if other hourly jobs offer higher pay.

鈥淲hy would they take a break from those jobs to go sub if they鈥檙e not making the same amount of money as eight hours at Starbucks?,鈥� Hardin said. 鈥淭he cost-benefit analysis isn鈥檛 there.鈥�

But rather than paying more, some school districts face the possibility of cutting their substitute pay. Putnam City and Oklahoma City schools both increased their daily rates for substitutes with federal COVID-19 relief money 鈥� funding that will expire next year.

Currently, all of Oklahoma City Public Schools鈥� substitute pay comes from pandemic relief dollars. District administrators said they haven鈥檛 decided what rate their schools will pay next year.

Putnam City鈥檚 rates already fell. When COVID-19 cases were at their peak, the district offered $70 daily stipends from federal relief funds on top of the usual substitute wages.

Stipends are down to $45 this semester, and next semester鈥檚 rates are yet to be determined, district spokesperson AJ Graffeo said.

Other districts, like Shawnee and Moore Public Schools, said none of their pandemic stimulus funds were tied to substitute pay, so next year鈥檚 expiration date should have no bearing on how much they offer.

Moore raised its wages this year to $100 a day for certified substitutes and $85 for non-certified. Superintendent Robert Romines said that鈥檚 helped improve the rate of substitutes covering teacher absences.

鈥淲e have to have great people leading the charge when your certified staff or support staff are gone,鈥� Romines said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e instrumental in making sure the doors stay open and making sure we can function as a school district.鈥�

Schools had no shortage of substitute teachers 15 to 20 years ago, despite offering close to the minimum wage, said Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

Back then, Oklahoma wasn鈥檛 mired in a teacher shortage, either, he said, and there were more people working as substitutes to get their foot in the door of education 鈥� like Hardin.

Today, teachers have to merge an absent colleague鈥檚 classes into their own and give up their plan hours to cover other classrooms when substitutes aren鈥檛 available.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important to have a caring adult who鈥檚 willing to go in and help the students learn each and every day,鈥� Hime said. 鈥淓very day you lose instruction is a significant amount of learning that you may never get back.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

He was a senior at Colorado State University and worked as chair of All The T.E.A. in Denver, an organization focused on HIV education and advocacy. Would the new outcry over teaching critical race theory 鈥� originally an academic framework used to understand structural racism, now a GOP catch-all for lessons addressing race, sex and gender 鈥� interfere with his team鈥檚 access to schools, he wondered?

鈥淎 lot of [our] historical work has been going into public schools and doing basic sex ed, HIV 101s and talking about how race and LGBT issues intersect with sexual health and with HIV specifically,鈥� said Babcock. 鈥淪o it was a really scary year to think about the ways that we might end up losing that access in certain counties.鈥�

So far, the group has not been blocked from continuing its work in any districts, said Babcock. But in Fort Collins, his college town, some parents on May 24 against gender and sexuality alliances in local schools, underscoring to Babcock the barriers his organization is up against, especially in areas with large swaths of conservative-leaning parents.

It鈥檚 one example out of many students shared of how the hot-button issues facing education this year impacted youth nationwide. With the school year having now drawn to a close, 蜜桃影视 convened members of its Student Council to share how the key K-12 storylines played out in their own lives.

Staffing shortages

For Mia Miron in Pomona, California, staffing shortages impacted her learning. Across the U.S. this past school year, there were more open positions at K-12 schools than during any previous year going back at least a decade, according to . At Miron鈥檚 school, her math teacher left early in the year, and from then on, her class was led by a long-term substitute.

鈥淭hat kind of set me behind,鈥� the eighth grader said.

She now is attending summer classes offered by her school to catch up and prepare for the transition to high school.

Diego Camacho, who recently graduated high school in Los Angeles, also attended a school that was short a math teacher. During his junior year, they were forced to combine the pre-algebra and pre-calculus classes, with students mostly learning from online Khan Academy lessons, he said.

Mental health

Numerous students articulated struggles with mental health. Sydnee Floyd, a high schooler in Franklin, Tennessee, said that during the first year of COVID, she experienced bouts of depression as the pandemic shut down many of her favorite activities. 

To make matters worse, in her community, she felt a stigma around discussing issues like depression or anxiety. 

鈥淚t’s kind of like you shove it to the corner and you don’t really talk about it,鈥� she said.

But fortunately, a teacher who, Floyd said, was 鈥渓ike my second mom鈥� picked up on the girl鈥檚 troubled state.

鈥淪he could tell that I was struggling and she just asked me an honest question. 鈥楢re you OK?鈥� And I was like, 鈥楴o, I’m not. I’ve been really struggling,鈥欌�� Floyd recalled. 鈥淪o she got in contact with our school counselors, and got me the help I needed.鈥�

In Needham, Massachusetts, Maxwell Surprenant鈥檚 school tried to take an honest accounting of the mental health difficulties its student body was facing. The administration carried out anonymous polling during fall 2021 to better understand young people鈥檚 stress and anxiety on the heels of COVID. 

鈥淭hey found that our student body was, on the whole, generally more stressed than the average stress level of high school students, but had very few cases of extreme anxiety,鈥� said the high school senior. 鈥淢ost people reported having resources and people to talk to, friends to reach out to, good support systems.鈥�

At the same time, in his own life, Surprenant deepened several friendships as his school rolled back COVID protocols like mandatory masking. 

Because lockdown had taken away so much, 鈥渆veryone wanted to make the most of the relationships that they had going forward,鈥� he said.

School safety

Just weeks after the school shooting at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 fourth graders and two teachers dead, several students had school safety at the front of their minds.

Babcock said he personally knows two victims of mass shootings. A friend of his survived the in Douglas County, Colorado, and his older sibling鈥檚 close friend died in the of 2012. There鈥檚 a psychological impact of proximity to those sorts of tragedies, he explained. 

鈥淚t does really make you feel like you always have to look for an exit,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his year, it was really painful to see that nothing had really changed since my senior year (in high school) when the Parkland shooting had happened.鈥�

At Za鈥橬ia Stinson鈥檚 school in Charlotte, North Carolina, a bomb threat this year brought a SWAT team to her school, complete with a bomb-sniffing canine unit. The disruption made her reflect on just how difficult it would be to learn in an environment where such threats are more common. 

鈥淚t’s so sad that someone goes to school to learn and has to worry about, 鈥榃ill this be my last day or not?鈥欌�� said Stinson.

Missing school

High rates of absenteeism plagued school districts across the country this year, as students missed class due to quarantine and poverty-related issues exacerbated by the pandemic, such as needing to work part-time jobs. 

In Floyd鈥檚 Tennessee district, she reported that a bunch of her peers 鈥渒ind of just gave up on school.鈥� By her estimation, more people were absent than usual throughout the year, but not necessarily because of COVID 鈥� instead taking days off 鈥渢o live their life a little bit more.鈥� 

鈥淭hey kind of just went and did what they wanted to after being kind of locked down for two years,鈥� said Floyd.

For Joshua Oh, who just finished eighth grade in Gambrills, Maryland, many of his peers struggled to stay up to date with their coursework after testing positive for COVID and being forced to quarantine. He personally caught the virus over winter break when he wouldn鈥檛 fall behind in school, but infections went up this past spring amid the second Omicron surge.

鈥淎 lot of people’s grades have tanked 鈥� and the teachers haven’t really exempted them from grades,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or friends, they’ve had to either email teachers or just have a low grade or just try to get extra credit or re-do [assignments] and get a late work [penalty], which deducts a couple points.鈥�

Devin Walton, a rising high school sophomore in South Torrance, California also struggled with missing school. But in a reminder that normal teenage life events also continued through the pandemic, his absences had nothing to do with COVID.

鈥淚 would sleep almost the entire day and whenever I did wake up, I would just go eat something and then go back to sleep. And my mom was getting worried about me because she thought I was sick or I was depressed,鈥� Walton explained. 鈥淏ut it turns out, I was just going through a major growth spurt and I was getting really tired.鈥�

Paths forward

Most of the young people on the council agreed that life is still not fully back to normal after the pandemic, and teachers can be a key support.

鈥淪tudents right now are really feeling disconnected,鈥� said Babcock. 

It goes a long way when educators find meaningful ways to connect with young people, he believes. 

鈥淛ust making sure that, from the first day, teachers are making themselves known as a safe person for a variety of issues, whether it’s bullying, LGBT issues, experiences of race in the classroom,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are so many ways that you can make yourself open to students.鈥�

Thoughtful personal touches can also have a big impact on improving classroom environment, reflected Mahbuba Sumiya, who finished high school in Detroit with virtual learning and is now a rising sophomore at Harvard University.

鈥淒uring the remote senior year of high school, some of my teachers would play music in the background while everyone was getting into the meeting to bring the energy,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he small things that educators do inside and outside the classroom to share love mean a lot to students like me.鈥�

Another tactic, suggested Oh, is more hands-on activities in class. At the end of the year, he designed and built a diorama of an environmentally friendly eco-city in his science class, which, he said, allowed him to feel engaged and have fun at the same time.

Educational games that encourage healthy use of phones and laptops, like can also be a good tactic to boost engagement, suggested Stinson of North Carolina.

To make up for time lost to the pandemic, teachers should encourage students to link learning to the real-world issues they care about, suggested Camacho, in L.A.

鈥淓ducators that listen to their students will quickly discover what their students are passionate about. Educators, now more than ever, should push students to explore their passions,鈥� he said.

For all COVID robbed them of, Walton observed, it also was a potent reminder to be grateful for the day-to-day interactions that in-person school can bring.

鈥淲hen I was in lockdown, I thought, 鈥極h yeah you have to stay at home all day, this is going to be a nice long break,鈥欌�� the California teen said. 鈥淎nd the longer I was at home, I was more like, 鈥楾his is starting to get boring. It’s not as fun as I thought it would be.鈥欌��

鈥淭he more we were in lockdown because of this pandemic virus, the more we realized how much school meant to us.鈥�

Years from now, if Stinson has children one day, she knows what she鈥檒l tell them about living through this extraordinary period.

鈥淚 would tell my kids that this was a very crazy time. It was a weird time.鈥�

This story was brought to you via 蜜桃影视鈥檚 Student Council initiative, an effort to boost youth voices in our reporting. America鈥檚 Promise Alliance helped in the recruiting of our diverse 11-member council and the idea was conceived as part of Asher Lehrer-Small’s Poynter-Koch Media and Journalism Fellowship.

鈥淎s much as it breaks my heart to admit this, I have to be honest 鈥� I don鈥檛 know if I want him to do it,鈥� she told lawmakers Tuesday during a  hearing on school staff shortages. 鈥淣ot unless our teachers are finally provided with the support they need to do the job properly.鈥�

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And in just , Esposito-Visgitis outlined the challenges facing educators, warning of possible early retirements and less interest in the profession resulting from limited resources and burnout.

Teachers are 鈥渨earing more hats than we ever thought possible,鈥� Esposito-Visgitis testified. Educators also serve as counselors, security aides, therapists, referees, surrogate parents, mediators, and mask monitors who are losing their planning periods while covering for their colleagues amid a national staffing crisis folded into the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淎ny one of these elements 鈥� retirements, departures, and fewer new teachers 鈥� is a cause for concern. Taken together? We are soon facing the teacher shortages that have plagued other states for a number of years now,鈥� she cautioned.

Before the pandemic, there was already a growing staffing shortage, especially among classroom substitutes, and COVID-19 has only exacerbated educational challenges. This has resulted in teachers losing their preparation periods and lunch breaks to cover for their colleagues and administrators consolidating classrooms due to limited resources.

Adam McCormick, a teacher in the Scranton School District, told lawmakers that 鈥渦nder normal circumstances,鈥� he would have taken a professional day to appear before lawmakers. Instead, he asked school administrators to coordinate a schedule, so he could still teach on Tuesday and not 鈥渢ax the already tight schedules of my colleagues and students.鈥�

Shortages also are not limited to the classroom. Ahead of the 2021-22 school year, districts nationwide reported a , which forced some schools to shut down in-person learning or find alternative ways to provide transportation to and from school each day.

In December, the Republican-controlled General Assembly tried to alleviate the burden by passing ,  by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, that gave schools added flexibility to fill classroom vacancies during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.

Rich Askey, the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, the state鈥檚 largest teacher鈥檚 union, praised the bill as a step toward solving the shortage by expanding the pool of those eligible but urged better pay to help recruit and retain substitutes.

On Monday, Askey testified that Pennsylvania has seen a 66 percent decline in Instructional I certificates, the most basic teaching certification, issued to in-state graduates and a 58 percent decline in certificates issued to graduates planning to work out-of-state.

鈥淭his is not sustainable,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd we anticipate it will continue to get worse.鈥�

The cost of attaining a bachelor鈥檚 degree paired with maintaining certification is one of the top barriers for those who want to enter the teaching profession and stay in the classroom, Askey testified. He added that it鈥檚 almost impossible for teachers with high student loan debt to remain in the field, especially those working in states with low salaries.

鈥淢oreover, we must remember that teachers do not just get a bachelor鈥檚 degree,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here are fees associated with assessments to achieve certification, certification fees to [the Pennsylvania Department of Education], costs for the 24 post-baccalaureate credits required to get an Instructional II certificate, and finally, the ongoing costs associated with professional development for the rest of their career.鈥�

Panelists looked to a , with one Republican co-sponsor, as a potential solution to help address some of the challenges facing school districts. 

The legislation, authored by Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, would establish high school career and technical education programs designed to provide students with hands-on experience to career pathways and kick-start the training and credentialing process for free. 

The bill also expands dual enrollment programs and establishes a Diversification and Workforce Fund, which would provide grants to colleges to increase diversity in teaching programs. Finally, the legislation would mandate that the state Department of Education collect and publish data, set goals, and coordinate efforts to recruit and retain teachers.

Larisa Shambaugh, chief talent officer for the School District of Philadelphia, also stressed the importance of student loan forgiveness for educators, similar to the recent relief program for nurses and other front-line health workers.

Sen. James Brewster, D-Allegheny, a former teacher, said Republicans in the General Assembly are the biggest challenge to education investment and reform.

鈥淭he answer is money,鈥� Brewster said. 鈥淎nd the votes we need [are] on the other side of the aisle.鈥�

One day before Tuesday鈥檚 hearing, Senate and House Democrats announced a $3.75 billion spending plan for education, staff recruitment and retention, and classroom resources. 

The proposal, which the lawmakers hope to pass as part of the 2022-23 state budget, would use $2.75 billion out of the general fund and $1 billion from unspent federal American Rescue Plan funds allocated to Pennsylvania last year.

Although Wolf said he would consider the spending proposal as he prepares his budget recommendations, there are signs of pushback from GOP budget officials.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Senate Appropriations Committee Chairperson Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, said the Democrats鈥� proposal 鈥渇ar outstrips our current revenue capacity and places our financial position in a multi-billion dollar deficit when the federal stimulus period is over.鈥�

He added: 鈥淎 historic tax increase will be the only means to maintain this commitment in the wake of the massive challenges of a global pandemic, record inflation, and labor shortages affecting employers across our commonwealth.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John Micek for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on and .

This was to a shortage of nursing professors and a limited number of clinical placements where nursing students get practical job training. include a shortage of experienced practitioners to provide supervision during clinical training, insufficient classroom space and inadequate financial resources.

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Although the 80,000 for students who apply to multiple nursing schools, it clearly suggests that not all qualified students are able to enroll in nursing school.

I am a nurse researcher, and founding director of , an office at the University of South Florida that focuses on the well-being of the health care workforce. I鈥檝e found that the nursing shortage is a complex issue that 鈥� but chief among them is the shortage of faculty to train future nurses.

Growing demand for nurses

There are not enough new nurses entering the U.S. health care system each year to meet the country鈥檚 . This can have serious consequences for and .

Nationally, the number of jobs for registered nurses is .

Some states project an even higher demand for registered nurses because of their population and their needs. Florida, for example, will need to over the next decade.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates there will be about for registered nurses each year over the next decade to meet the demands of the growing population, and also to replace nurses who retire or quit the profession. This means the U.S. will need about by 2030.

In addition to a shortage of registered nurses, there is also a shortage of nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioner is identified as the in the next decade, after wind turbine technicians, with a projected increase of 52.2%. Nurse practitioners have an advanced scope of practice compared with registered nurses. They must complete additional clinical hours, earn a master鈥檚 or doctoral degree in nursing, and complete additional certifications to work with specific patient populations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the . Despite these problems, student enrollment in nursing schools . The pandemic has not turned people away from wanting to pursue a career in nursing. However, without enough nursing faculty and clinical sites, there will not be enough new nurses to meet the health care demands of the nation.

Need for more nursing faculty

Currently, the national . This is slightly improved from the . More than half of all nursing schools . The highest need is in nursing programs in .

Nursing education in clinical settings requires smaller student-to-faculty ratios than many other professions in order to maintain the safety of patients, students and faculty members. Regulatory agencies recommend at least one faculty member to engaged in clinical learning.

The faculty shortage is also affected by the fact that many current nursing faculty members are . The percentage of full-time nursing faculty members increased from roughly 18% in 2006 to nearly 31% in 2015.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing reports the of doctorally prepared nurse faculty members at the ranks of professor, associate professor and assistant professor were 62.6, 56.9 and 50.9 years, respectively.

Another factor that contributes to the nursing faculty shortage, and the most critical issue , is compensation. The salary of a nurse with an advanced degree is much higher in clinical and private sectors than it is in academia.

According to a survey by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, the , across settings and specialties, is $110,000. By contrast, the AACN reported in March 2020 that the in nursing schools was just under $80,000.

Fixing the faculty shortage

Innovative strategies are needed to address the nursing faculty shortage. The was a start. The act provides funding for nursing faculty development, scholarships and loan repayment for nurses, and grants for advanced nursing education, nursing diversity initiatives and other priorities.

The Build Back Better Act that in November 2021 includes funding to help nursing schools across the country recruit and retain diverse nursing faculty and enroll and retain nursing students. The act is now before the U.S. Senate.

In addition to national strategies, individual states are addressing the shortage at the local level. Maryland, for example, awarded over to 14 higher education institutions with nursing programs in Maryland to expand and increase the number of qualified nurses.

Finally, offering faculty salaries comparable to those in clinical settings may attract more nurses to use their expertise to train and expand the next generation of health care workers.

Dr. Rayna M. Letourneau is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing.

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

One bill (), passed unanimously by both chambers Monday, would allow retired teachers to return to the classroom through the 2022-2023 school year and still collect their pensions.

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Another measure () would eliminate the requirement for public school employees to live in the state for three years before they are hired. Currently, public school employees can鈥檛 reside outside New Jersey unless they have a waiver, largely barring schools from hiring people living in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York.

The measures come as school districts around the state are reporting staffing issues that have led them to return to virtual instruction or close entirely. More than a quarter of New Jersey schools were closed Monday due to COVID-related matters, including staffing shortages,

At  teachers and administrators said longstanding staffing issues have been aggravated by COVID-19.

The bills passed Monday, and dozens of others passed during the final voting session of this legislative session, will now go to Gov. Phil Murphy鈥檚 desk. He has until Jan. 18 to sign them.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com. Follow New Jersey Monitor on and .

Faced with burnout, low wages and now COVID-19, scores of education workers 鈥� including not just teachers but also school bus drivers, special education paraprofessionals, cafeteria and afterschool workers, nurses, school safety agents and custodians 鈥� have left their posts.

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Districts have been forced to cancel classes, close cafeterias and feed students pizza, bring back remote classes, and hire per diem emergency workers. School officials have also increased salaries and other incentives to attract and retain staff.

蜜桃影视 has found school staffing shortages in all 50 states.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data show there were in July. The rate of workers leaving their job only 鈥� wholesale trades and education.

鈥淚 fear the worst is yet to come,鈥� Highline public school superintendent Susan Enfield told 蜜桃影视. Her district outside of Seattle has had to send central office staff to fill teaching positions. Enfield believes the approaching cold and flu season and new vaccine requirements will exacerbate shortages in the coming months.

In one Idaho district, the staffing situation was so dire, schools were 鈥渄ue to excessive staff absences and the shortage of substitute teachers.鈥�

When schools managed to open, staffing shortages created headaches for students: A lack of cafeteria workers meant children at S. Weir Mitchell Elementary in Philadelphia weren鈥檛 served breakfast or lunch one day in September.

Many students haven鈥檛 made it to school at all because of a shortage of bus drivers. In a National School Transportation Association , more than half of the school district officials polled described their bus driver shortage as 鈥渟evere鈥� or 鈥渄esperate.鈥�

In Minnesota鈥檚 St. Francis Area Schools superintendent Beth Giese got her bus driver鈥檚 license to help ease the shortage.

鈥溾�嬧�婣 very wise mentor once told me, never ask an employee to do anything you wouldn鈥檛 do yourself. Guess who got her bus license!鈥� Giese in a Facebook post.

To see how widespread and pervasive the school staffing shortages are, click on states below to see ways they鈥檙e experiencing 鈥� and tackling 鈥� the back-to-school hurdle.

If you are having trouble viewing the interactive, click here