Public schools nationwide face what some have described as a staffing crisis going into September. And the struggle has taken many different forms in New Jersey — from the shortage, if not outright absence, of applicants for some jobs to a changing marketplace in general for teachers and those who want to become one.

Now comes the harder task of coming up with possible remedies. The Legislature has moved a number of bills to address some of the potential barriers and the State Board of Education has started to take up New Jersey’s teacher certification code for incoming teachers.

Those debates have already begun to get contentious, but there is little disagreement that this is both a short- and a long-term battle.

“All ideas should be on the table,” said Mike LaSusa, superintendent of the School District of the Chathams. “This is only going to be significantly worse five, 10 years from now.”

As the pandemic appears to wane, staffing challenges are well-known at this point. It used to be difficult filling specialized positions in math and science and special education, but that difficulty now extends to other once-popular positions as well.

Until now, the biggest reason for this problem was the shortage of potential candidates in teacher education programs moving into the hiring pipeline. That’s happening, many suggest, at the same there has been an ongoing turnover of older teachers who are choosing to retire or get out of the field.

Yet the latest state data indicates retirements have not been so much the driving factor in the last few years as might be assumed. According to pension data collected by the New Jersey Education Association, the statewide teachers union, retirements in the past four years have not risen significantly, if at all.

The NJEA reported 4,143 retirements during 2021 – 2022, the vast majority in July after the close of the school year. That’s a slight drop over the year prior and only a slight increase from the total before the pandemic. Somewhat surprisingly, the data indicates that retirements actually dropped significantly in the first year of the pandemic.

“From what we’re seeing, the shortage is not so much because of teachers rushing out the door as much as in those who are coming in the door,” said Steve Baker, the NJEA’s communications director.

Discouraging potential teachers

The union puts the blame for the lack of new candidates on the public pressures and, in some cases, outright attacks faced by teachers over the last decade or more, making the profession less attractive to those looking at potential careers.

“After a couple of years of that, that hasn’t left us with much room to maneuver,” Baker said. [Full disclosure: The NJEA is an underwriter of NJ Spotlight News.]

That has left lawmakers and policymakers scrambling to come up with solutions, with a slew of bills moving through the Legislature and a few of them signed into law so far that advocates and educators said could help.

They have included a measure to ease entry requirements for teachers in select cases, and one bill that would end the state’s residency requirement for teachers. But while the former was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy, the latter never even made it past committee. Another bill overwhelmingly approved to end a controversial — and expensive — performance test for new teachers known as the edTPA has yet to be signed by Murphy.

Advocates are hopeful that the measures will ease some barriers, but they said the problems are deep-seated. The chief lobbyist for the state’s principals association read an email she received from a member titled “Something has to change” that described how one school couldn’t even get student teachers.

“I think all of these things will contribute, but I don’t think we’re there yet,” said Debra Bradley, the long-time lobbyist of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association. “This is a long-term problem as much as a short-term one … It seems like we’re just not ready to remove the barriers that get in the way.”

The obstacles vary widely, indicated several superintendents grappling with the challenges. LaSusa, the Chathams schools chief, said candidates have been fewer for what were once easy positions to fill and non-existent for some positions.

No takers

“When we have a teacher taking a leave, there are some postings where not one person applies,” he said.

Paraprofessionals and teacher aides are especially tough jobs to fill, he said, as many are moving up into staff positions elsewhere. “We’re almost at a crisis mode when it comes to paraprofessionals,” he said, adding it is forcing teachers and other staff to fill the vacancies.

“They play a critical role,” especially in special education, “and we will not be fully staffed,” the superintendent said.

In Springfield schools in Union County, superintendent Rachel Goldberg said they will start the year with the necessary positions filled, but she said it is a different marketplace for teachers who now benefit from what is a sellers’ market.

“The process has become more competitive,” she said. “They are looking at different districts, asking questions, comparing contracts and insurance. A question that is common is, “What is the pay at the top step of the (salary) guide?”

“I don’t know if it is a sign that teachers feel they have more agency and power to negotiate,” Goldberg said.

Still, the superintendent said the challenges concern her, agreeing with LaSusa and others that they are just beginning. “I don’t know anybody who says they are not worried,” she said.

— Graphic by Genesis Obando