A 2019 report from the Rockefeller Institute of Government shows Connecticut has seen persistent teaching shortages in bilingual, math, science and special education instruction. The state’s Department of Education has tried to solve the problem by providing incentives, but attracting and retaining teachers has only been made worse due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rockefeller report said that among the factors for this shortage have been that more people have left the state’s teacher workforce, and there’s been a decline in teacher preparation program enrollment.
A recent survey released by the Connecticut Education Association and AFT Connecticut shows that 58% of the 4,000 educators say they still worry about safety and the risk of contracting the coronavirus at school.