Ever since the beginning of the school year, the teacher shortage problem in the state of Florida has only worseed. These heavy shortages are linked to low pay and uncertainty that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Florida Education Association, CNN reported Oct. 12.
"These numbers and trends are an alarm bell going off for our public schools, and state officials need to start listening. Educators have made clear why they're leaving our schools, and young people will readily share why they don't want to pursue an education career." Adam Spar, Florida Education Association president, said in the CNN article.
Florida has open positions for over 5,000 teachers and 4,000 school staff members, according to the Florida Education Association.
The association originally released the number of vacant positions in August, but the numbers were so high the association recounted vacant positions again only to find an increase in October, CNN reported.
These numbers have all the more highlighted the challenges faced by the education system in the country. Gov. Ron DeSantis and the school boards have been continuously at odds with each other over mask mandates and, owing to these measures, the federal government has also challenged the state, CNN reported.
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