Where Vermont school staffing issues are most dire, two weeks before school year begins
April BartonCORRECTION: About 55 positions were open for administrators which include education program leaders in addition to principals and superintendents. A previous version of this article reduced the scope of this category.
Vermont schools are gearing up to welcome back students in a couple weeks and though COVID regulations are low this year, the pandemic's effects continue to be felt on school staffing.
Around 2,850 public school positions had yet to be filled by mid-August, according to statistics gathered by Steven Berbeco of 802 Ed, who has been tracking school staffing trends over the past year. The number could be higher as many postings represent multiple open positions. In comparison, last school year started with around 1,600 listings. That's an increase of 78% year over year.
Teachers and administrators are facing shortages but their numbers aren't as significant as substitutes, paraeducators and special educators, which make up close to half of the openings.
Staffing has become a "significant concern" according to the Agency of Education which issued new guidelines on Aug. 8 detailing how schools could hire educators with temporary licenses or recruit former educators out of retirement. And more districts than before are sweetening their offers through signing and retention bonuses, some as high as $10,000.
Where the greatest school staffing shortages are in Vermont
Over the course of the past year, Berbeco has been tracking school openings in the state through School Spring, the primary job site used by public school educators in Vermont. He identified specific positions that came up most frequently and tracked key roles in mid-August and the 30 days prior.
Where the needs are across Vermont schools in approximate numbers:
- Substitutes − 490
- Instructional Support − 485
- Special Education − 245
- Facilities − 122
- Teachers − 115
- Nurses − 82
- Administrators (including principals, superintendents and other education program leaders) − 55
- Music − 22
Teacher and principal openings peaked in April when contracts were extended to faculty. Many contracts have been locked in since the spring which accounts for why those numbers aren't as high.
Nurses and facilities staff became even more important during the COVID-19 pandemic as they shouldered additional responsibilities. It's clear there are still significant needs in those areas.
Districts received an infusion of COVID relief funds to assist with making academic gains after a few years of upheaval. Many local districts earmarked those dollars for increasing staff in the areas of instructional and behavior/mental health support as well as special education. The numbers are high for these positions, but it is unclear if the values reflect people leaving roles or increasing the total number of positions available.
Sign on/Stay on bonuses peak
A key strategy school districts are leaning on this year are financial incentives. Berbeco noted 40 sign-on or stay-on bonuses, more than he'd seen before. Some of those entries apply to multiple positions.
Bonuses ran from $500 to $10,000 per position. Many of the bonuses were for behavioral interventionists and special education supports, but some teaching and staff positions were also included.
At the top − the $10,000 level − were bonuses for special education teachers and case mangers, a dean of students, operations manager and a math teacher for grades 7 through 12.
Many Chittenden County schools begin the school year during the last days of August or right after Labor Day.
Compare to Fall 2020:School districts can open with current staffing levels, but seek more support staff, subs
Contact reporter April Barton at abarton@freepressmedia.com or 802-660-1854. Follow her on Twitter @aprildbarton.