(The Center Square) – Before students make it to their classroom doors, they are assisted by a host of workers who create the conditions required for education. Among them are bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodial staff and instructional aides.
And like teachers, their numbers are dwindling in Pennsylvania.
Legislators have long been scrambling to solve the state’s teacher shortage. They have plans to incentivize would-be educators to pursue careers in the state. Now, legislators want to bolster the numbers of other essential employees.
Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Allegheny, has introduced a bill to allow support staff to receive unemployment during summer break.
“Our educational support professionals are the unsung heroes of schools and school districts across Pennsylvania and the entire nation,” said Powell. “My bill would help remove significant obstacles to them providing for themselves and their families year-round.”
House Bill 265 extends existing unemployment benefits to apply to school employees even when they can reasonably expect to return to their jobs.
This sort of unemployment structure isn’t without precedent. Across the state, workers in construction and other labor-intensive industries often experience routine lay-offs between a company’s major contracts, allowing them to receive unemployment. When the next project comes, workers are re-hired.
As it stands, both full-time and part-time school assistance workers are forced to find temporary jobs during the summer months, a process that isn’t always reliable. Without unemployment, there’s no guarantee they’ll be able to find sufficient work until the start of the next school year.
While many open positions allow for significant flexibility and reliable hours during the school year, the timing can also make it difficult to maintain second and third jobs year-round. For many, it’s too hard to pass up opportunities for long-term stability and full-time work when they’re offered, leading to attrition each year.
According to the Pennsylvania School Bus Association, the state currently has 3,500 vacancies that lead to longer routes and scheduling issues.
The Pennsylvania School Board Association has also reported a 70% shortage of instructional aides across the state. These types of positions are notoriously hard to fill due to low wages and often high-stress job demands.
The shortage conditions aren’t just difficult for the workers. Parents, teachers and other employees have to make adjustments to fill in the gaps while school communities are left with the emotional and social impacts of losing their own.
“They’re the backbone of our schools and it’s time we treat them like it,” said Powell.
