Monticello, Midland schools feel stress of low staff during pandemic

     School districts across the State of Iowa, across the U.S., are experiencing staffing shortages. The Monticello and Midland school districts are in the same boat…

     Before the start of the 2021-22 school year, Monticello Superintendent Brian Jaeger said all of their teaching positions throughout the district were filled.

     “We did fill some support staff positions just as the school year started,” he said.

     For the last two years, the pool of candidates has been quite small for every position the Monticello district had open.

     Jaeger demonstrated with a graphic from the IDOE (Iowa Department of Education) that illustrates that less people are becoming teachers.

     “Almost 1,000 a year less than even eight years ago,” he commented.

     With a shortage of staff for full-time positions, they’re also experiencing a shortage in substitutes.

     “This is so hard during a pandemic when we are very cautious of health and staff are absent more than ever before,” said Jaeger.

     He shared that staff cover for one another during prep times. Some even double up on the number of kids they have in class “because we can’t find subs.”

     Jaeger praised his staff for their understanding during this difficult time.

     “They don’t complain, but it is taking a toll,” he said. “It’s only November, and our staff has been pushed and pushed because we do not have options.”

     It’s not just substitute teachers the Monticello schools struggles to secure, but subs in all positions.

     There are several factors as to why the staffing shortages are so prevalent today.

     Jaeger said over the last decade, public education has remained underfunded. While the cost of living has increased by about 4 percent, staff salaries are only increasing by 1 to 2 percent.

     “Over a 10-year period, keeping teacher salaries competitive has been a difficult hurdle to overcome,” voiced Jaeger.

     There are also higher expectations and more responsibilities placed on those in education than years ago.

     And, COVID.

     “COVID has created a difficult learning environment with students constantly being out of school more than ever before,” said Jaeger. “Public education, for some reason, has lost value in our society.”

     He said there are even deterrents to young people pursuing education as a career.

     “There is a lot of baggage that comes with teaching now.”

     Jaeger also points to the Iowa Legislature’s talk about charter schools when it comes to school choice.

     “As far back as I can remember, our educational system has always been one of the best in the country. This seems like a vote of no confidence.

     “Charter schools are run like businesses, and my experience with them in Arizona when I was there for 15 years was that they promised everything and mis-led parents on the progress of their kids,” continued Jaeger. “By the time parents realized their kids were falling behind, they were through elementary and on to middle school.” (Jaeger shared that most charter schools are K-6.)

     “The grass is not always greener on the other side,” Jaeger said of the choice of public/private schools versus charter schools. “It’s the greenest where you water it.”

     (Jaeger said, for the record, he does support private schools like Sacred Heart.)

     While the Monticello district has focused its efforts on enticing subs, they have had little success. Some remain afraid to return to the classroom due to COVID. Some have gone on to pursue other jobs.

     During the Monday, Nov. 22 school board meeting, Jaeger plans to ask the board to approve a daily sub rate of $174 for those who work more than 10 days within the district.

     He said they’ve gotten creative with advertising for positions, and “it has not even moved the needle.”

     With no subs, others within the school buildings have fill in: coaches, counselors, and even administrators. Jaeger said the idea of cancelling classes or grade levels would be very difficult.

     “So it’s been all hands on deck,” he said. “Which means that so many people change their plans every day to help over for others.”

     Jaeger said while the Monticello community has certainly been supportive of the school over the years, that support is needed now more than ever for everyone who works within the schools.

     “When you see one of those people, tell then thank you and that you know they are in a touch spot and that you are proud of them,” he urged. “Monticello has a lot of people with big hearts who realize that sometimes a small gesture can make a big difference.”

     Last week, Midland Superintendent Caleb Bonjour announced that the district was going to implement self-care days during the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks “to address the mental wellbeing of our students and educators.” The district’s Thanksgiving break will be extended by an additional day, Monday, Nov. 29. Christmas break will be extended by two and a half days, starting Dec. 20.

     Bonjour said they’re able to pull this off because of the additional hours built into the school calendar.

     The self-care days were added due to the issues the district is facing with staff shortages as well.

     “One thing our staff need more than ever is time,” she said. “We felt this was a way that we could work to give them time to recharge and get their feet back under them.”

     He said mental health days are something schools across the country are doing.

     Going back to the fall when school started, Bonjour said Midland had trouble filling key roles such as math and ELA (English language arts). Right now, they have subs who rotate between Midland and other districts.

     “But we are still incredibly short,” added Bonjour.

     Echoing Jaeger’s comments, Bonjour said their applicant numbers are dwindling, and very few are entering the teaching world as a career.

     “I believe we are witnessing the effects of a perfect storm,” described Bonjour. “We have had years of schools being underfunded, this coupled with the pandemic, and more societal pressures around teaching practices have all led to turbulent waters in the world of education.”

     He said this has caused staff at Midland to feel burnt out. They continue to give up their prep times, pursuing Class B teaching licenses to teach outside of their current endorsements, and continue to navigate the pandemic.

     “The overall wellbeing in schools is a high concern,” said Bonjour. “We have staff who are burning the candle at both ends trying to reach and be the best for students that they can be, and we have students who are also navigating the storm.”

     To entice applicants, Midland has offered sign-on bonuses, advanced lanes, and referral stipends.

     As the winter months approach and more illnesses arise districtwide, Bonjour said they might have to make the difficult decision to cancel classes or school as a whole, something that almost took place in September during a high wave of COVID cases.

     “This has absolutely affected our morale,” said Bonjour.