FACING CHALLENGES
Report: Student mental health, staffing shortages, finances top concerns for schools
The COVID-19 pandemic has not been an easy time for schools.
Over the last three years they’ve dealt with mandated closures, with making the switch to virtual learning and with trying to keep students and staff safe.
And although in many ways the world has returned to normal, schools across the state are still dealing with lasting challenges the pandemic created.
The Pennsylvania School Board Association recently released its seventh annual State of Schools report, which outlines those challenges. The report, which is based on survey responses from 281 of the state’s 500 school districts, shows schools are still dealing with quite a bit.
The three biggest challenges, according to the report, are student mental health, staffing shortages and finances.
Student mental health
More than 70% of districts reported that student mental health needs have been a major issue this school year, and 40% anticipate it will continue to be a major challenge next year.
“For years to come, we will be addressing the impact of COVID-related school closures on mental well-being and learning gaps,” one survey respondent said.
Almost all districts reported that they are providing schoolwide mental health education or programming. About 90% said they are partnering with local agencies to provide mental health and social emotional supports, and about 58% said they have contracted with outside vendors to add additional support.
Most districts have been able to boost their mental health and social emotional support thanks to the state government. More than 80% of respondents said state grants provided in 2022 allowed them to provide additional support they otherwise would not have been able to offer.
Respondents said such funding is vital and encouraged the state to continue to provide grants in the years to come.
Parents have noticed districts’ efforts. A survey showed that 77% feel their child’s school is doing a good job when it comes to addressing the emotional health and wellbeing of students. And 76% of parents believe there is an adult in their child’s school that their child can talk to about any problems they are facing.
Dr. Marybeth Torchia, Boyertown School District superintendent, said student mental health has certainly been a big concern.
“In the Boyertown Area School District, we have seen a significant rise in our students’ mental health needs,” she said.
Based on data from the Safe2Say Something system, a tip line where people can anonymously report mental health concerns for students, tips have risen drasti
cally, Torchia said. In the 2020-21 school year the district received 58 tips, but that number rose to 127 in 2021-22.
And for the current school year, which still has three months left, the district has received 120 tips.
“The most significant report is on suicide ideation,” Torchia said. “More students need support in and out of school, and there are not enough mental health providers to support the increased need.”
School staffing
Being able to find qualified staff has been an ongoing challenge for schools across the state, one that predates COVID but was exacerbated by the pandemic.
In particular, school districts are reporting having a hard time finding substitute teachers. About 92% of respondents said they are facing a shortage of substitutes.
Other positions are also proving to be difficult to fill as well.
The report shows that 74% of districts have a shortage of instructional aides, 66% have a shortage of transportation personnel and nearly 60% have a shortage of special education teachers.
When it comes to regular education teachers, nearly 40% of districts said they’re facing a shortage. More than 48% of districts said they had open teaching positions to start the school year.
“We have needs for quality people across the board,” one survey respondent said.
The shortage is starting to have an impact on classrooms.
The report shows that 18% of districts believe the teacher shortage has had a significant negative impact on their educational program, while 44% believe it has had a small impact.
Another 25% of districts report that teacher shortages have not yet had an impact but are close to reaching that point.
Most respondents said they are still seeing a large number of employees who are burned out from dealing with the pandemic.
More than 44% of districts said they strongly agree that staff are burned out, while another 44% said they somewhat agree.
Those numbers are actually an improvement over 2022, when more than 85% strongly agreed and just under 14% somewhat agreed.
Another shortage that is causing school districts strife is that of bus drivers, with most districts saying they’ve experienced a significant impact.
The report shows that 66% of districts have been forced to change routes because of the shortage, and that 35% have increased compensation to try to attract more drivers.
“We’ve had to double up our bus runs, which causes students to be late coming to and going home from school every day,” one respondent said.
Dr. Chris Trickett, Wilson School District superintendent, said staffing is a major concern.
“We identify our top challenge as finding, recruiting and retaining the best people,” he said. “State and national trends show a staggering decrease in young people wanting to work in education. This has created a significant reduction in licensed applicants, leading to as few as zero qualified candidates.”
Trickett said the district is constantly looking for ways to improve the work environment and school culture for employees, but added he also believes the shortages are impacted by things outside of the district.
“We believe it is our society’s shared responsibility to elevate the essential role public education plays in creating stronger communities,” he said. “When we commit to working together to support our school systems, including our students and employees, we will change the narrative regarding the education profession as a meaningful career choice.
“If we can’t figure this out together, the future of public education will be in jeopardy.”
Torchia said the shortage of teachers has reached a crisis point and is the worst she’s seen in her 30-year career.
Torchia said Boyertown is working directly with local colleges to support student teaching and recruit the limited number of certified teaching graduates. And other job openings also are proving hard to fill.
“Paraprofessionals, cafeteria workers and bus drivers are also at a bare minimum,” she said.
School finances
Balancing budgets is another challenge that worsened due to COVID.
One financial factor stands out above others as a major concern. More than 75% of respondents said charter school tuitions are putting pressure on district budgets.
During 2020-21 districts across the state paid a combined $2.8 billion in charter school tuition. That represents about 8% of their total budgets, which is double what it was a decade earlier.
“Cybercharter expenses alone are bankrupting our school district,” one respondent said. “We would not have a financial problem without this impact.”
Other top budget pressures include special education costs (49%), pension costs (38%), inadequate state funding (35%) and general inflation (25%).
Those pressures will likely lead to higher tax bills for many homeowners.
More than 73% of districts said they anticipate raising property taxes, while about 59% said they plan to dip into reserves.
About 33% of districts said financial pressure will cause them to postpone needed building renovations or maintenance, and 30% said they plan to reduce staff.
Dr. Joseph Macharola, Muhlenberg School District superintendent, said his district is certainly facing financial pressure.
In particular, Macharola said, is Muhlenberg’s rapidly growing student body. He said the district’s student population has increased by more than 700 students over the past seven years.
That has led the district to the point where it needs to build schools and expand existing ones.
“We’re growing so fast our buildings are filled to the extreme,” he said.
Creating more space for students will come with a hefty price tag, like the estimated $180 million cost of building a new junior high school.
Macharola also said the ongoing staffing shortage is having a financial impact, as the district does its best to provide salaries and benefits that will attract and retain candidates.
Torchia called charter school tuition payments a considerable challenge for Boyertown.
“Our budget for charter school costs has consistently increased over the past four years,” she said.
Torchia said she supports state Sen. Judy Schwank’s bill that would help districts, like Boyertown, that offer their own cyber option.
In those districts, if a parent chooses to enroll their child in a non-district cybercharter school the parent would be responsible for paying the tuition.
“This would take the burden off of the school district,” Torchia said. “If this bill passes, it will help school districts such as Boyertown balance their budgets.”
Funding issues
Andrew Potteiger, Brandywine Heights School District superintendent, said state and federal funding presents another budgetary challenge.
Districts have to build their own budgets before knowing exactly how much money the state will provide them. The state and school district budgets must be passed by July 1, and the state has a history of missing that deadline.
A because this is Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first year in office, his initial budget proposal will be unveiled about a month later than normal.
Potteiger said what that proposal includes will have a big impact on districts that have been battling increasing costs for years.
“Collectively over the last 10 years in the Brandywine Heights Area School District alone, we have seen a combined increase in $4.7 million in pension, charter tuition and adjusted special education costs,” he said.
And the financial landscape isn’t improving, with districts now facing inflation and other hurdles.
“As we all are aware in our home budgets, inflation in consumables ranging from fuel oil, heating costs and classroom supplies remain a concern,” Potteiger said. “With federal COVID-19 relief dollars expiring for school districts, those escalated necessary operational costs will continue to play a part and equate to increased operational costs.”