State Rep. Debra Hefferman (D-RD 6) said the shortage has led to educator burnout, which has worsened since the onset of the pandemic. Hefferman believes the bill would lessen or eliminate some of that burnout.
Other issues are how disruptive this issue can be to the education system and learning abilities, Heffernan said, “it is negatively impacting students, parents, teachers, administrators.”
“Any change to a schedule is disruptive to our students,” says Michael Saylor, director of educator excellence for the Delaware Department of Education.
Because of the lack of teachers, multiple classes are being merged, sometimes doubling the number of students for whom one teacher is responsible. In some instances, other school employees, like administrators and specialists, have to step up to monitor classrooms, forcing them to delay their day-to-day administrative responsibilities.
“They’re having to take specialists like speech therapists, psychologists, occupational therapists and put them in positions to teach other classrooms. So kids are not getting all the related services they need,” said Heffernan.
Although it is a step in the right direction, some districts are not covered by the bill. The Indian River School District and the Delmar School District are two of them.
Personnel specialist Michele Murphy of the Indian River School District said the school had to meet certain high needs and low-income criteria. “And surprisingly,” Murphy said, “our schools did not qualify, so we will not be receiving any of those positions.”
Leaders with IRSD said it hoped to be eligible for the bill because it would have made it easier to find full-time substitutes.