As LAUSD schools plan to return for the 2022-23 school year the district is struggling with severe teaching shortages.
The LAUSD was one of the hardest hit school districts in the country in the wake of the pandemic.
Many schools struggled to provide their students with adequate resources causing many children to fall behind. Another issue it faced was keeping teachers employed.
With COVID cases rising rapidly throughout the county some teachers saw themselves trying to juggle teaching multiple classes at one time, trying to fill in for sick staff.
Now as the start of school is just around the corner the district is scrambling to fill hundreds of open teacher positions.
A complete excel sheet can be found on the LAUSD’s website that has all of the teaching position vacancies listed and most of them are listed in the highest level of SENI.
The Student Equity Need Index is used to measure the need and inform the allocation of funds from the district to address the achievement gap. If a school is listed as “high” or “highest” this means they are in most need of proper allocation of funds.
This means that some schools are being severely affected not only by the need for teachers but also by the need for adequate funding.
Teachers have quit their jobs because they do not feel supported enough, cannot keep up with having to teach multiple students, and others feel burnt out from the pandemic.
In an effort to try and fill those vacancies the district has started offering teaching incentives.
They are offering a $5,000 hiring stipend “for newly hired credentialed teachers who elect to work in high-needs schools (High or Highest on SENI Ranking) and commit to remaining at their school site for a minimum of three years.”
According to the district’s website, they are also offering “20 hours of paid professional development each year that is specifically designed for new teachers working at SENI High and Highest needs schools.”
Recently LAUSD announced its COVID procedures which seem to be more relaxed than those required in the previous school year. These have also been a source for some teachers to leave their jobs fearing the district is not doing enough to keep them safe.
There will no longer be required weekly testing for students and staff. Instead, they will only be required to test if they have been exposed, are experiencing symptoms, or have tested positive.
The district has also delayed its vaccination requirement until July 1, 2023 meaning that students may still attend in-person classes even if they have not been vaccinated. Teachers and staff are still required to show proof of vaccination if they are reporting to in-person instruction.
