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Recruitment & Retention Video

What’s Behind the School Staffing Shortages – And What Districts Can Do To Address Them

By Jaclyn Borowski & Mark Lieberman — September 23, 2021 4:03
A sign advertises for school bus drivers outside Norris Middle School in Omaha, Neb., on July 29, 2020.
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Across the country, school districts are facing a shortage of bus drivers, custodians, substitute teachers, cafeteria works, and more. Some of the reasons behind these gaps are specific to the pandemic, while others have been building for some time. All have a direct impact on students. Here, a look at what’s behind these issues, and what districts can do to address them.

Jaclyn Borowski is the director of photography and videography for Education Week.
Mark Lieberman is a reporter for Education Week who covers school finance.

Video

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Philip A. Dwyer/The Bellingham Herald via AP
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Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
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Assistant Principal Beth Bearor and kindergartener Rhys Gallup practice letters and letter sounds while walking through a rope ladder during P.E. teacher Robyn Newton’s action-based learning class at Vergennes Union Elementary School in Vergennes, Vt., on Nov. 18, 2024.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
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