Like other Westchester and Putnam county districts, Briarcliff has begun to feel the squeeze of a nationwide teacher shortage that area educators say will only intensify in the next five years. Student enrollment is up, but so are teacher retirements. Fully one-third of the district's 150 faculty are in their probationary period. And more college graduates are spurning teaching for higher-paying careers in business. That adds up to a hectic hiring season that stretches through the summer into the final weeks of August for most districts.
Administrators find fewer candidates and often fewer qualified ones.
The number of applicants, even in the top districts, signals the overall shortage. Four years ago, Maher said, he'd see 300 applicants for a high school position in English or social studies. Now the candidate pool doesn't approach 100, he said. It is worse in science. Five years ago, he'd see 100 candidates with 15-20 years of experience.