(KERO) — Schools are facing an uphill battle trying to fill vacant positions and it's not just teachers.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that public school employment is about 7.7 million. That's up from previous reports but still down from more than eight million at the start of the pandemic.
A Rand survey shows that 75 percent of school leaders are trying to hire more substitutes and that most districts are looking to hire more bus drivers and tutors. Another federal survey found that teaching shortages are the worst in Southern states, with more than four job vacancies per school.