'This is going to affect him': Shortage of teachers riles up parents in Prospect Park

PROSPECT PARK — A shortage of teachers at the K-8 school on Brown Avenue has some parents worried about their children’s future, but members of the Board of Education said they are doing all they can to fill the positions.

There were 15 openings, as of Monday. Key vacancies included a mathematics teacher in sixth grade, a middle school language arts teacher and a middle school science teacher.

The school, with an enrollment of 800 students, also needs a special education teacher for lower grades.

The jobs have been vacant for up to two months, and in many cases, $200-per-day substitutes are covering classrooms until permanent teachers are in place.

Marylin González was among a group of concerned parents who raised the issue to the school board at its most recent meeting. She said her son, an eighth grader, had a long-term substitute teaching his social studies class.

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González said it is a critical year for her son, who is trying to get into the high school of his choice. “This is going to affect him,” she said. “This isn’t OK. He’s an eighth grader, going into high school unprepared.”

School Superintendent Tyeshia Reels acknowledged that it has been difficult to get new hires on board.

Reels cited a nationwide shortage of teachers and the transition of her administration as factors that have contributed to the issue.

“We have the same concerns that you do,” Reels said, addressing parents at the meeting. “And we’re working alongside of you to make sure that our district is in the best position to move forward.”

The school board has, in fact, filled some vacancies.

Trustees approved the resignations of at least five employees, including the school nurse and a physical education teacher, at meetings in August and September. But in the weeks that followed, they appointed an ESL teacher, a gifted-and-talented teacher and a music teacher, among others.

Data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the number of school workers in the country peaked at just under 8.1 million before the pandemic hit in February 2020. Within three months, it dropped to 7.3 million.

The number rebounded since then, but the data shows that there is still a nationwide deficit of more than 270,000 school workers.

Pandemic burnout is only part of the problem, experts say. Fewer people are entering the profession, leading some places to offer incentives to would-be educators.

In Florida, for example, a certification program was unveiled in August to recruit military veterans as teachers. They must pass a test and a background check, but a bachelor’s degree is not required.

A district in the small city of Mineral Wells, Texas — 82 miles west of Dallas — lost seven of its best teachers in the spring to school systems with four-day weeks. So it made the same adjustment to its calendar, according to a news report.

And the district in Paterson, which has more than 30 times as many students as Prospect Park, awarded $7,500 signing bonuses to incoming teachers, allowing school officials there to fill 115 openings since September.

Roseann Rosario said she is hoping for something to change at the local school, where her son is without a qualified resource teacher.

She told the school board that her son used to love math. Now she said, he is flunking.

“It was his favorite subject until this year,” Rosario said. “I leave notes on his homework because he can’t do the homework. It’s frustrating. It’s really hard.”

Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: devencentis@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Teacher shortage riles up parents in this Passaic County district