Paterson School District looks to fill over 150 teacher positions as new school year begins

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Some districts are dealing with a shortage of teachers, as schools across the state get ready to open their doors. One of them is the Paterson School District, which is looking to fill 152 full-time teaching positions. The teacher shortage is an issue nationwide and one that Paterson has been working to address for the last two years. There is a plan to fill the void as they wait for more qualified people to be hired. "If we have to have substitute teachers in, we will be starting with that. If there are classes that are small, we'll consider combining classrooms,” says school Superintendent Dr. Laurie Newell. “And we have also been engaging with a firm called Proximity that's been with us for about two years or so...it's a virtual platform where we have a teacher in the classroom.” The district also was just awarded a more than $250,000 paraprofessional program grant to help those looking to pursue a career in teaching and address statewide teacher shortages. "