In the 2022 iteration of the statewide Teaching and Learning Conditions Colorado survey, 19 educators from Aspen public schools reported that they were considering leaving the field of education altogether at the end of this school year. That accounts for almost 13% of the Aspen School District staff members who completed the survey this year.
Aspen School District is starting to get a firmer sense though not an entirely complete one just yet of just how many staff plan to return next year and how many vacancies it will need to fill.
Facing a dire need for classroom coverage and an insufficient number of substitutes, many Aspen School District employees are taking on additional work to fill the gaps and ensure that schools stay open.
As Pitkin County goes, so goes the school system with COVID-19 case numbers, anyway. A recent surge in local cases in Pitkin County also made for a relatively proportional bump in case counts among school-aged children and an uptick in teacher and staff cases, according to Pitkin County Public Health’s COVID-19 data dashboards.