COVID In Colorado: School Districts Report Critical Staff Shortages In New Survey

DENVER (CBS4) - Critical staff shortages are presenting significant challenges for Colorado school districts as they struggle to maintain operations for both in-person and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent survey conducted by the Colorado Department of Education found the vast majority of school districts say they don't have enough substitute teachers and bus drivers.

Shortages in special education teachers, classroom teachers and janitorial staff are also impacting many areas of the state. In the survey, districts also listed reading loss among kindergarten through third grade students as a top concern as well as the ongoing stress for both students and teachers.

CDE conducted a similar survey in the spring and found districts in immediate need of hardware, software and additional funding for internet access. The spring survey revealed about 53,000 students were in need of wifi-enabled devices, and 65,860 students needed internet access at home. Officials said there are currently about 30,000 students lacking access in both categories.

"Our teachers and districts have worked miracles to provide safe, quality learning environments for our students who are learning both remotely and in-person, especially when you consider the staffing shortages so many of them are up against," said Colorado Education Commissioner Katy Anthes. "We were able to use the information from the spring survey to focus our efforts and resources to support districts' needs for increased internet access, and I'm hopeful this inventory can help us target additional resources to support our teachers, students and districts through the long haul of this pandemic."

CDE officials said they are concerned that staff burnout could cause teachers to take leaves of absences or resign. The fall survey noted the need for increased resources to support mental health in schools.

"This survey follows up on the survey of emergency needs we conducted last spring and goes deeper into the long tail of recovery, showing serious needs across the state," said Rebecca Holmes, President & CEO of the Colorado Education Initiative.

Nearly 75% of Colorado school districts and Educational Services agencies completed the fall survey. The results represent 90% of public school students in the state.