The country is currently experiencing a teacher shortage where educators are needed in classrooms now more than ever. Central York High School (CYHS) is no different, having hundreds of teacher absences within the past semester.

The shortage can be due to several factors like low teacher wages and less qualified teachers, but the biggest would be the lack of applying teachers. There has been a large decline in the number of people going into the teaching field in general, which leads to fewer overall applications.

“The applicant pool is just not as deep as it used to be,” said David Czarnecki, associate principal of CYHS.

Central York usually utilizes a “draft” system to hire their teachers. This system involves administrators reviewing applications and selecting the most qualified candidates for positions, similar to how sports teams pick their athletes. Without enough applicants, the “most qualified” candidates do not bring themselves forward and the next best must be selected.

“Without the ‘number one pick’ educators, there are gaps in learning,” said Czarnecki.

Said gaps occur when teachers are absent from the classroom. COVID-19 does not help the situation, as it resulted in many of the teacher absences within the past year. Eighty-six percent of teachers within the National Education Association has seen more teachers leave since the pandemic started. Classrooms must resort to substitute teachers, which do not have the best track record of keeping learning active.

“Once, a substitute teacher told me to just look on schoology and said, ‘I can’t help you,’” said senior Ryan Smith. 

To combat the ever-growing issue, Central has a few tricks up its sleeve. The first is salaries. The district is very competitive with salaries, to compete with other schools. Central also releases their job postings early to attract eagle-eyed applicants. 

Even still, Central advises the best thing current students can do to solve the problem is to look into teaching themselves. The high school itself provides many classes such as child and adolescent development and the secondary education experience to aid students looking to join the education field at any age. 

“If you are interested in teaching, pursue it. It’s a helping profession and you’ll be called to it,” Czarnecki said. 

Despite best efforts, teachers are still needed all around the country, not just at CYHS. With an ever-increasing population, it is up to the next generation to decide whether or not this crisis will be solved.