As school districts prepare to welcome students back to the classroom, they're grappling with a teacher shortage so severe that some have no other choice but to hire teachers from out of state to lead virtual lessons.
With not enough teachers to go around, districts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on services from companies like Texas-based Proximity Learning or New York-based Fullmind to fill open positions with virtual instructors.
The services use web conferencing technology to stream certified teachers into a classroom when a teacher cannot be found locally. Students are able to see, learn and interact with a teacher "live" each day from within their school classrooms.
"We're hoping not to go to use those resources anymore. It's always better to have a physical, a teacher, an educator, in front of our kids," Eduardo Conde, recruitment coordinator for Lancaster Independent School District in Texas, told KXAS-TV.
As Lancaster ISD struggles to get teachers into the classroom, utilizing virtual instruction over Zoom is a way to make sure students aren't falling behind in core subjects or being taught by someone who isn't properly certified.
"It's not a job. I've seen people where it's a job and it's -- it's not, it's not for them, teaching is a calling," Conde told KXAS-TV. "Teaching, you need to have the passion for any role within a school district."
As for why the teachers shortage continues to drag on, people are simply just not considering the profession. Many are reluctant to go into teaching because they can make more money in different fields. Couple that with unfavorable working conditions and what some consider a lack of respect from the government and public alike, and it's not too hard to see why districts are having trouble filling vacant positions.
Teacher shortages have been a challenge for U.S. schools since before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the U.S. Department of Education. However, the pandemic also made the problem worse, with 9% of all local public education jobs (730,000) lost.
"Remaining shortages vary significantly from state to state, district to district and school to school," said the department. "Additionally, before the pandemic, schools were already experiencing shortages, with disproportionate impacts on students of color, students with disabilities, and English learners."
"The problem is not just current teachers exiting the field. It's that there are fewer people entering the profession to replace them," said a report published this January in Forbes about the "epic crisis" facing education.