If you’re working under an endorsement that is considered a shortage area you may be eligible for benefits such as loan forgiveness and mortgage assistance.
The Connecticut State Department of Education identifies shortage areas based on multiple factors indicating the projected supply and demand of teachers in the state.
The designated shortage areas for 2023-24 are as follows:
- Bilingual Education, preK-12
- History and Social Studies, 7-12
- Mathematics, 4-12
- Special Education, preK-12*
- School Library and Media Specialist, preK-12**
- School Psychologist, prek-12**
- Science, 4-12
- Speech and Language Pathologist, preK-12**
- Technology Education, preK-12
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), preK-12
- World Languages, 7-12
* The Special Education shortage area designation comprises Partially Sighted, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Blind, Comprehensive Special Education, and Integrated Early Childhood teaching endorsement codes.
** High needs districts only. A district is designated as a high-needs district for teacher shortage purposes if any of the following is true:
- The district is an Alliance District; or
- The district’s average annual percentage of students who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch was greater than or equal to 43% (over the period of 2014-15 to 2020-21); or
- The district’s percentage of students who qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2021-22 was greater than or equal to 43%. The full list of high-needs districts is available in Appendix A of the Staffing Shortage Areas in Connecticut Public Schools report.
Read the complete data bulletin on teacher shortage areas from the State Department of Education.
