The task force will investigate the challenges teacher shortages create for schools and find solutions to fill the increasing vacancies.
to attract more qualified candidates, but many are retired teachers who don’t want to substitute on campuses where students aren’t wearing masks.by the Texas American Federation of Teachers of more than 3,800 school employees found that 66% considered leaving their jobs in the past year and just 12% of respondents felt safe at work during the January omicron surge.
The struggle to attract and retain teachers began before the pandemic, particularly in rural areas and in fields that require additional certification requirements, such as bilingual and special education. About 8% of public school teachers in recent years left the profession annually, through retirement or attrition, according to a Schools also are hiring more than they have in recent years, thanks to roughly $18 billion in COVID-19 relief funding they received in the past two years.
The TEA task force will build upon other efforts to address staffing shortages. In January, the American Federation of Teachers, which has local chapters in San Antonio, formed to examine teacher and school staff shortages and propose solutions for districts with “extreme shortages,” according to a press release.