The Great Resignation comes for schools

NO MORE TEACHERS - The crisis in American schools since the pandemic began is an education crisis, but it's also a labor shortage. A superintendent in Boston taught a fourth-grade class this week because of staffing issues. Some Ohio school districts have cut degree requirements for substitute teachers and increased their pay. Schools are desperate for nurses. Bus drivers are so hard to find that the Departments of Transportation and Education announced this week that states can waive a part of the commercial driver's license requirement to address the shortage. Michigan schools need more cafeteria workers.

This is the latest facet of the Great Resignation. Workers in low-paying industries like hospitality, and high-stress industries like health care, have moved on to other jobs. Many education jobs fall into both categories on the pay and stress scales.

But in education, at least, these challenges precede the pandemic, said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the largest teachers union, in an interview with Nightly. Low pay and resources for teachers - and low wages and limited career pathways for other school workers - have driven them to quit in droves, she said.

https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2022/01/07/the-great-resignation-comes-for-schools-495645