Berks Community Forum - Solving PA Teacher Shortage

Pennsylvania has a shortage of teachers and the impact is particularly severe in Berks County. When the 2025-26 school year began, Berks had a shortage of nearly 300 teachers. This is a continuing trend. The number of teacher certificates issued in Berks County has dropped by 45% over the past decade and 7.5% of our teachers left their positions in 2023. Diversity is also a challenge as only 3% of Berks County teachers are people of color, compared to about a third of our students.