Paula Warren has been a custodian at Pine Bush High School for eight years, but her job has gotten considerably more difficult in the last two years due, in part, to the pandemic.

"We have to do a lot more sanitizing, spraying of everything, wiping everything down, so there is a lot more to the job," said Warren.

She said that, coupled with fears of contracting COVID-19, has led many people on her team to quit.

"Yes, a lot since the pandemic. We lost quite a few to retirement," said Warren. "We have actually been filling in for the people that have left, so we end up working a lot more overtime because of it."

All that extra work has been exhausting for custodians like Warren. She’s even had to fill in at other schools in the district that are short-staffed.

"It's draining, especially when you have to do it not just in your school, but in other schools," said Warren.

That’s why Pine Bush Central School District Director of Human Resources Angela Wise-Landman is desperately trying to hire more custodians, food service workers and maintenance staff for the district's schools.

"We've seen also some retirements and leaves of absences throughout our non-instructional positions, which are more challenging to fill throughout this COVID climate and pandemic," she said.

She said hiring teachers has been relatively easier thanks to their proximity to several teachers' colleges. But other positions have been more challenging to fill in the past few years.

"I think because of COVID, those positions are more hands-on, labor-intensive, working directly with the health and safety of our students," said Wise-Landman.

And Pine Bush is not alone.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from December to January of 2022, 29,000 people were hired in local schools nationwide. But employment in schools is down by about 4% since February 2020.

Wise-Landman said they’re just not seeing the same interest they used to see before COVID, and they’re struggling to make wages competitive.

"Folks definitely need more now in this current economic state as a starting salary and starting wage compared to years previously. Inflation has skyrocketed. The cost of living has skyrocketed," said Wise-Landman.

And they’re feeling the competition from large companies like Amazon, which recently built a warehouse in the area that can pay more and offer better benefits.

"Folks are looking for some kind of incentive or some type of perk or reward for coming on board with us, so that’s something were analyzing," said Wise-Landman.

Meanwhile, staff members like Warren continue to work hard, despite the shortages, but she hopes that more custodians will be hired soon to help lighten her load.