SAN DIEGO - As San Diego County Schools begin the fall semester, school leaders are concerned about the teacher shortage
Some 350 teaching positions were open at the start of the summer for county schools, Kindergarten through 12th grade. Sheiveh Jones, Ed.D. of the San Diego County Office of Education tells NBC 7 the teacher shortage is about a decade in the making but that things aren't as bad as they seem.
"We're right where we should be, can we fill more positions, absolutely," said Jones. "But it's not catastrophic."
Some teachers like Matthew Schneck say they're willing to take on extra course loads, though it may not be in their field of expertise.
"You can ask me to cover a math classroom if there's not a math teacher in it, but oh my gosh, I needed math tutors throughout college because I really struggled with math," said Schneck.
The most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics shows a nationwide loss 600,000 teachers since January of 2020, some of whom retired early, while others left the profession altogether. This is on top of the bus driver and support staff shortages districts are already facing.
Photo: Getty Images