In Duval Schools, the number of teacher vacancies has increased by nearly 58 percent since this time last year. Now, district officials say they don't have enough substitutes available to fill the gap.
Community members say the shortages are palpable — teachers wonder if their classes will have a substitute to teach the lesson plans they leave behind if they take time off or if the job will be passed off to a co-worker instead.
Students say their classes feel stuffed with barely enough room for all the desks because core classes are at their max capacity. Anecdotally, some students report being rerouted to a school gymnasium or auditorium if there aren't enough adults on campus to handle teacher vacancies and absences. In other cases, classes are combined for one teacher to monitor all the students.
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