New York State Sees Spike in Teachers Retiring vs. Returning to Classrooms
Posted on 09/15/2020
Data from the New York State Teachers Retirement System shows a 20% increase in 2020 in teachers exiting compared to previous periods. However, this teacher shortage has existed for years, but is being exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdowns.
New York City officials promised to find up to 2,000 additional teachers to fill staffing shortages as the city opens up schools. “We are committed to an additional 2,000 educators immediately, and we’ll keep working with each school to make sure what they need is what they get, and that we’re ready for opening day,” said NYC Mayor de Blasio on September 14, 2020. In addition, a total of 55 school-based Department of Education of New York employees have tested positive for COVID-19 – at least 45 of that count were teachers. This is according to de Blasio.