Families will see the effects of short staffing as students in Prince William County Public Schools head back to classes on Aug. 22.
In a letter to parents, Superintendent LaTanya McDade on Friday said the growing school system is facing shortages in both instructional staff and bus drivers.
The school system hired 900 new people for instructional positions, adding to the more than 5,700 teachers already on staff.
“We are currently working to fill 318 school-based instructional openings. It is important to keep in mind that we have added more than 170 instructional positions to our Fiscal Year 2023 budget to better serve our students,” McDade wrote.
To help offset the teacher shortage, Prince William County Public Schools will give middle and high school teachers who agree to teach an additional section another $2,000 in bonuses, increasing their compensation from $12,000 to $14,000 annually.
The letter also noted that elementary class sizes may be larger than preferred, but McDade said the school system will still respect the state requirements for class sizes.
The school system also faces a bus driver shortage, as much of the nation is.
Bus drivers will continue double bus runs this year to combat the shortage, meaning some students will likely have to wait longer for bus rides.
Prince William County Public Schools will release elementary school class schedules online on Aug. 16 and middle and high schools class schedules on Aug. 19.
A “Back to School Packet” will be available on Monday, Aug. 8, and should be returned by Friday, Sept. 16.
