Students at Hall High School and across the state are affected by a substitute teacher shortage, Schwartz the Interim superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools said. “Although there are some amazing substitute teachers, having a vacancy for a long period of time will impact student success and growth.” This is not just recent news; the issue has been ongoing for many years with little intervention.
Students have begun to notice the effects daily. A student from Hall High School, Elizabeth, explained, “Usually it says [on the door sign] the cafe because the library is usually full.” Although this sign does tell the students to go to the cafe, very few of them actually do; instead, they go to the library. This raises the question: why are so many students missing class entirely?
Another student described the system as far from helpful. Anthony, also a student at Hall, said, “It is an adequate place to do work [library], but when you need clarification on the material it is kind of just like sitting here, not knowing what to do.”
The frequency of teacher absences forces students into alternative spaces. Hall High School has recently recorded a high average of 15.6 (FTE) teacher absence days — the highest in recent years. This directly correlates to the increased demand for substitute teachers, a shortage that the librarian at Hall noted, stating there "certainly appears to be" a shortage, with the library filling up more quickly than ever before.
