YORK, Pa. — A job fair is scheduled today for York Suburban School District. It’s one of the creative solutions school districts across the country are trying to attract more workers amid a national teacher shortage.
Pennsylvania’s educator shortage has hit a crisis level, according to the leaders of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PASA).
The COVID-19 pandemic and related factors did exacerbate the shortage, but educator numbers have been slowly dwindling for years. Pennsylvania saw a 65% drop in the number of in-state and out-of-state instructional certificates issued between the 2010 to 2011 and 2019 to 2020 school years.
The shortage includes teachers as well as other positions at schools, including paraprofessionals, substitute teachers, custodians, classroom monitors, food service positions, and support staff.
Those positions are among the current vacancies at York Suburban School District, which is hoping to fill its roster before the beginning of the school year, now just weeks away.
“As most people have experienced, we haven’t gotten as many applications for some of these positions as we normally would,” Communications Director Nick Staab said. “Getting those key players all in the same room so we can expedite the process and get those positions filled for the start of the school year is the main goal.”
The teacher shortage has likewise affected other area school districts, including Harrisburg. The district yesterday announced middle school Rowland Academy will have a shortened school day through the upcoming school year due to lack of teachers.
Education groups have called for measures to attract and keep more teachers, such as hiring and retention bonuses for both full-time and substitute teachers.
The job fair is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in York Suburban Middle School's cafeteria. The school is located at 455 Sundale Drive in York.
Open positions include:
● Paraprofessionals
● Custodians
● Substitutes/guest teachers
● Classroom monitors
● Food service positions
● Support staff substitutes
Job seekers are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes.