Hillsborough Schools Face Rising Staffing Issues Due To Pandemic

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Staffing issues are a rising concern in the Hillsborough Township School district due to the coronavirus pandemic as 44 percent more teachers are leaving the district, either by retirement or resignation, over last year, according to Hillsborough Education Association President Henry Goodhue.

Goodhue said he didn't know for sure everyone's reasoning for leaving but pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic as a big contributor with staff members. Staff members who may have children in other districts and are trying to juggle virtual instruction while working or have their own underlying health conditions played a role in some of these decisions.

"Sadly we lost some really great educators to other districts. Some went to districts offering different plans or accommodations during the coronavirus... Some are pursuing other professions. Or some are trying to make it on one income. We don't know for a fact everyone's reasoning," said Goodhue.

As Hillsborough looks to resume hybrid, in-person learning on Monday following the winter break, Goodhue said there is added staffing concern now that the Family First Coronavirus Relief Act expired on Dec. 31, 2020.

The FFCRA offered extended leave benefits for staff in addition to the Family and Medical Leave Act(FMLA) to allow them to be able to stay home. Now that it has expired, some staff members may need to make decisions about whether to return to school on Monday.

"Absolutely it is a concern. We have still yet to recover from the loss of 56 staff positions from the previous year's budget cuts," said Goodhue. "We were short-staffed to begin with and now finding ourselves in a position of shortages and struggling to find substitutes."

Goodhue noted the shortages are not only for teachers but across the board in the district — including custodians, bus drivers, etc.

The district previously encountered a short-staffing issue when it reopened to hybrid on Dec. 7 after having switched to virtual for two weeks.

Superintendent Dr. Lisa Antunes said 144 teachers were absent for personal illness and 38 teachers were absent for family illness on Dec. 7. There were also more teachers out for FMLA, FFCRA, and other reasons.

Antunes noted at the Dec. 7 BOE meeting, that despite being short-staffed in some buildings the district was able to continue with the school day by combining classes in some situations.

Looking at the most recent update, Hillsborough has reported 6 new coronavirus cases in the district since Jan. 1. The cases include 2 at the high school, 2 at the middle school, 1 at Amsterdam, and 1 at Hillsborough Elementary.

In total, the district has reported 80 positive coronavirus cases in the district since reopening in October.

The Hillsborough Board of Education is meeting on Monday night. No action will be taken at this meeting but the board will discuss how to expand collaboration and include stakeholders in future planning including addressing staffing issues.

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