Schools in San Benito County are seeing teacher shortages and fewer applicants

Hollister, Calif. (KION-TV)- With kids back to school, there's still a concern of a teacher shortage in San Benito County.

Some schools in Hollister, are also seeing fewer teacher applications.

Schools that are fully staffed in San Benito County are worried it may not look like that in the future.

The California Department of Education says from 2021 to 2022 there have been over 10,000 teacher vacancies across California.

In San Benito County, Sunnyslope Elementary School and Rancho San Justo Middle School are experiencing staffing shortages.

At Spring Grove Elementary School, Superintendent Jenny Bernoski says although they are not currently experiencing a staffing shortage, she is seeing a troubling trend.

"We do have fewer people applying for positions in years past. We would have 20 people apply for apply for a position, and now we have maybe three or four that will apply at one time," said Superintendent/Principal for Spring Grove Elementary School Jenny Bernoski.

She says the applicant pool is so small, that they have reached out to qualified people in other cities like Gilroy and Morgan Hill.

"We always worry that we will not have candidates apply for positions that we have," said Bernoski.

I checked with the San Benito High School District.

It’s starting off the school year fully staffed, but the director of human resources for that district says recruitment has been tough and has also seen about a 25% drop in teacher applications.

"We certainly see a much smaller pool of teacher recruits and people applying for teaching positions," said Cindi Krokower, director of human resources for the San Benito High School District.

They are seeing a shortage of substitute teachers.

"Substitute teachers are vital for any school at any given time. We have 172 certificated staff members. So at any given time, you know, someone is ill, has to, you know, attend to a sick child, etc. and the opportunity for professional development for our teachers means sometimes they may be out of the classroom for a day," said Krokower.

School officials tell KION that low applicants have to do with pay. San Benito High School District has tried to solve that problem by increasing pay rates over the last two years.

The Superintendent for Hollister High School says all teaching positions are being filled by teachers and substitutes.