Public schools in the state of Virginia are struggling to retain teachers according to a new report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission.
An analysis of statewide teacher workforce data showed that more teachers were leaving their jobs while fewer teachers are becoming licensed for the first time, the Nov. 7 report states (pdf). In 2021–22, the number of teachers leaving the profession was 12 percent higher than the pre-pandemic yearly average, while the number of newly licensed teachers was lower by 15 percent.
There were 800 vacant teaching posts across the state before the COVID-19 pandemic, a figure that increased substantially to 2,800 posts in October 2021, the report said, representing 3 percent of all teaching positions. As of August 2022, there were 3,300 vacant teaching posts in 111 school divisions….