FOR RELEASE: August 25, 2025
CONTACT: Al Marlin (518) 527-6933 (Cell) @nyschoolboards
New NYSSBA report highlights local strategies for addressing teacher shortages
Click here to view the report: https://www.nyssba.org/clientuploads/nyssba_pdf/teacher-shortage-plug-and-play-report-08192025.pdf
School districts in New York that are experiencing teacher shortages can take concrete steps on their own to enhance recruitment and retention of classroom instructors, according to a report by the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA).
NYSSBA’s report, entitled “Plug and Play: Strategies for Addressing Teacher Shortages at the Local Level,” found that teacher shortages in New York continue to be concentrated mainly in a few select subjects – career and technical education, health science, English language arts, science, special education, and library media specialist.
“Finding qualified teachers that are a good fit for a community’s schools is vitally important, both to improving student achievement and reducing the costs associated with teacher turnover,” said NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider. Expenses related to recruiting, hiring and onboarding new teachers can run as much as $25,000 for each teacher who leaves employment, noted Schneider.
NYSSBA’s report highlights strategies that school districts can take at the local level to address hiring challenges and improve teacher retention. These include:
Applying for teacher residency and apprenticeship programs. New York State has programs that provide training, mentoring and stipends to novice teachers.
Developing “Grow Your Own” partnerships. Districts should explore “Grow Your Own” initiatives designed to motivate individuals within a school or community to consider a career in teaching and offering those individuals assistance in obtaining certification.
Building relationships with community colleges. Effective community college programs can strengthen the pipeline to offset teacher shortages.
Re-evaluating teacher compensation. Offering more attractive compensation may be a good way to attract potential teachers to the profession and reduce the amount spent on recruiting, hiring and onboarding new teachers due to teacher turnover.
Conducting stay talks. A “stay talk” is a conversation principals can have with teachers to address any concerns they may have. Research has shown that this simple intervention can boost retention by two-thirds or more.
“We hope school boards will consider the key strategies outlined in this report to help resolve teacher shortages,” said Schneider.
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