Struggling to fill vacancies, the Camden, New Jersey, school district plans to search abroad to hire teachers for its bilingual and English as a Second Language classes for the 2022-23 school year.
“We have to do something different,” said Superintendent Katrina McCombs. “Yes, we are desperate.”
Like school districts around the country, Camden has experienced a teacher shortage worsened by the pandemic, with positions from bus drivers to substitute teachers difficult to staff. This year, Camden has been unable to fill 28 of nearly 700 teacher positions, said McCombs, which include three bilingual and one ESL position, she said.
