Resources

To help meet the growing needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government has infused nearly $200 billion in federal relief funds into state and district school systems, with significant flexibility on how to use the funds to drive recovery. After more than a year of pandemic-induced disruptions to schooling and pivots to extended virtual or hybrid learning environment, many districts and schools report troubling staffing shortages in teachers, substitutes, mental health personnel, cafeteria workers,  and bus drivers.

Without consistent access to these key personnel, districts may not have the human resources they need to effectively implement comprehensive recovery plans to address critical student needs, not to mention the staff to keep schools operating in person.

This brief provides an overview of the education workforce shortage trends both nationally and in Region 2 states (Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island). The brief also highlights examples of how Region 2 states are innovating to address these shortages and provides additional considerations for strategies to address shortages in both the short term and the long term.