Teacher and Staff Shortages Persist and Tell a Deeper Story About Problematic Policies

New teacher vacancy numbers show that halfway through the school year there are still 3,197 advertised instructional vacancies across the K-12 system. Thousands of students across the public school system do not currently have access to a qualified, prepared educator. And while some vacancies have been filled since the start of the new school year, new vacancies have occurred due to retirements and resignations, leaving the vacancy rate still at 64% of what it was in August 2024. In 20 counties, the vacancy numbers are higher now than they were last August. Upon deeper inspection, the vacancy numbers tell us a deeper story about problematic policies and a lack of investment: Our state is struggling to retain teachers.

The recent critical shortage report released by the State Board of Education reveals a concerning trend: while the total number of courses offered in the 2023-2024 school year decreased slightly (562,027 in 2023/2024 versus 587,607 in 2021/2022), the number of courses taught by out-of-field teachers — those who do not have training or certifications in the subject they are teaching — has increased by 16% over the past three years. This shift indicates that even as classrooms are being staffed, they are increasingly being filled with interns or international teachers. Across the state, some districts are not advertising vacancies because positions are being filled with uncertified long-term substitutes. For example in Polk County, data as of the end of September shows there are more than 600 full time substitutes — numbers not reflected in posted vacancies.

The report also shows a decline in people who have completed a teacher-education program. According to 2022/2023 data, 5,655 people completed a teacher-education program, down from 6,270 people in last year’s report.

Florida’s struggle to retain teachers is due, in part, to bad policies that are driving educators away from the profession and we can no longer ignore this crisis. Governor DeSantis and other anti-public education politicians have worked hard to ensure Florida leads the nation in book bans, empowered fringe groups to dictate the stories students can read, penalized educators for doing their jobs, and outright refused facts and widely accepted expertise when shaping curriculum. The result? Not a single person in the 2022/2023 school year completed a teacher-education program for media specialists, guaranteeing that students in our public schools lose out on professionally trained librarians.

Florida’s 50th-place ranking in average teacher pay leaves many teachers struggling to afford basic needs and unable to live in the communities they serve. To make ends meet, some are forced to take on two or three extra jobs just to make rent and put food on the table. Teachers and staff in Florida are chronically underpaid, and when they have to make decisions between staying in their chosen professions or paying their bills, the data shows us our state is failing to retain them. Our state’s lack of investment in teachers undoubtably impacts our future. How can we prepare Florida’s next generation of scientific and space leaders when, in the 2022/2023 school year, only six people completed a teacher-education program in Earth & Space Science?

“When we talk about teacher and staff vacancies, this is really a question of ‘what do Florida students deserve?’ Do they deserve public schools that have been invested in so that every teacher available is prepared and certified, and every education staff professional is able to provide additional assistance that students need? Or do they deserve to simply take what they can get?” said Andrew Spar, President of the Florida Education Association. “Everyone in Florida — regardless of background, ideology, race, religion, etc. — believes that all children deserve access to a world-class public education, with schools that reflect their community and that have the funding and resources they need. No parent or guardian wants their student shoved into a class with too many kids and not enough books, with teachers who aren’t properly prepared or trained to teach a subject, in schools that have no air conditioning in the summer or mold in the walls. You will hear politicians like Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. and Governor Ron DeSantis tout the historic investments into education and yet they do not share the full truth — that corporate-run charter and private schools divert billions of dollars each year from public schools. We need long-term strategies that ensure our students have qualified teachers and that schools have full support staffing instead of stopgap measures that leave children, educators, and parents in Florida stranded. These vacancy numbers show us one clear thing about educators: we can’t keep them, and we cannot simply hire ourselves out of bad policy.”

There has been little change in the vacancies for teacher aides since the beginning of the year, leaving hundreds of our special education students without the support they need. Florida continues to experience persistent bus driver shortages, causing students to potentially miss valuable instruction time.

Quality education starts with well-trained teachers and policies that put children and communities first. It’s time for our state to make meaningful investments in solutions that will create a world class public education system every child can benefit from.

The Florida Education Assocation will continue their efforts to work with pro-public education leaders this legislative session to fund competitive salaries to attract and retain qualified teachers and ensure Florida ranks in the top ten for teacher pay – not near rock bottom. FEA will continue to champion efforts to keep our teachers for years to come by allowing qualified, experienced educators to earn multi-year contracts and restoring cost of living adjustments for current and future retirees. We must also support current staff by funding pathways to teacher licensure for current education staff professionals, waiving fees for certification renewals and eliminating barriers for those in teacher preparation programs. It means also respecting educators’ constitutional right to collective bargaining.

FEA is calling on Florida’s legislature to:

• Invest just $1,000 more per student each year so they can get a world-class education,
• Fully fund Public Education Captial Outlay (PECO) so schools are free of mold, water fountains are free of lead, and every school has working air-conditioning and proper ventilation,
• prioritize developmentally appropriate, teacher-led assessments over mandated standardized tests, and
• safeguard families from unaccountable private and charter schools that profit off our children.

Florida’s students deserve to be safe and free to learn in classrooms free from political interference so teachers and educational staff can continue to do what they do best: helping students grow, learn, and thrive.

The Florida Education Association counts vacancies posted on district websites twice annually, in August and January. A county-by-county breakdown of the vacancy numbers can be found here.