The school buses are rolling again.

Students are filling hallways, teachers are decorating classrooms and another school year is underway across the Lehigh Valley. In many districts, classes began with little sign of the teacher shortage often discussed at the state level.

Parkland School District entered the year with just one opening for a long-term substitute teacher and one aide position posted on its website. East Penn School District listed a single long-term substitute opening for the spring semester as students returned to school. Salisbury and Saucon Valley also appeared to have few classroom vacancies.

“We’re in good shape as far as staffing goes,” said Nicole McGalla, director of communications and community engagement for the Parkland school district. I haven’t really seen much of a difference from last year to this year. Of course, hard to fill positions are always difficult to find, but we’re really blessed here in Parkland. We have a lot of applicants for our teaching positions.”

Those staffing levels stand in contrast to Lehigh County’s designation as having an “extremely severe” teacher shortage by the statewide coalition PA Needs Teachers.

The disparity raises a different question: Why are some districts able to keep classrooms staffed while others struggle to fill positions?

Compensation may be one factor. According to OpenPAGov data, Parkland teachers earn an average salary of $98,006, the highest average teacher salary in Lehigh County. East Penn teachers average $94,085, while Saucon Valley teachers average $97,690. Those figures place the districts among the highest-paying employers for teachers in the region.

Higher salaries alone do not explain staffing levels, but they may help districts compete for educators in an increasingly limited labor pool. Teachers often have choices when applying for jobs, and compensation remains one of the factors that can influence where they choose to work.

Retention may be just as important as recruitment. Districts with lower turnover naturally face fewer openings and less competition for candidates. School culture, administrative support, student behavior, workload and opportunities for professional growth can all influence whether educators remain in a district long term.

If districts such as Parkland, East Penn, Salisbury and Saucon Valley are retaining teachers at higher rates, they would have fewer positions to fill from year to year regardless of broader statewide workforce challenges.

District reputation also matters. Districts with stable leadership, strong academic performance and established support systems may attract larger applicant pools than districts facing chronic vacancies.

That does not mean suburban districts are immune from staffing concerns. Most continue to advertise for substitute teachers, aides and specialists. However, vacancy postings suggest they have largely been able to keep classrooms staffed as the school year begins.

Just a few miles away, the staffing picture looks much different.

As of Aug. 30, the Allentown School District listed 41 unfulfilled elementary education positions, 17 middle-level openings and 20 high school vacancies. The district also posted 14 anticipated openings for the 2026-27 school year.

The contrast between largely staffed districts such as Parkland, East Penn, Salisbury and Saucon Valley and the dozens of openings in Allentown suggests the region’s teacher shortage may be driven more by district-specific challenges than by a lack of educators throughout the Lehigh Valley.

County-wide statistics help explain why the conversation continues. PA Needs Teachers estimates Lehigh County needs approximately 396 additional qualified educators. Although 84 teaching certificates were issued in 2024, an 18% increase over the past decade, the coalition still rates the county’s teacher supply as very low.

The coalition also rates teacher qualifications as low, citing novice teachers, educators teaching outside their certification areas and teachers working under emergency permits. Lehigh County’s teacher attrition rate of 7.3% earned a high rating.

Northampton County received a moderate teacher-shortage rating, with an estimated need for 128 additional qualified educators. The county’s supply rating also was classified as very low, despite many local districts appearing fully staffed. Those statistics suggest the issue is more complicated than vacancy postings alone.

At the state level, the Pennsylvania Department of Education estimates there are approximately 5,500 active teacher vacancies. More than a decade ago, Pennsylvania issued about 21,000 teaching certifications annually. In recent years, the number has ranged between roughly 6,000 and 7,600.

The Pennsylvania State Education Association has reported about 7,000 aspiring educators in its network. More than 3,500 applicants sought student-teacher stipends for the 2025-26 academic year, with about 2,300 qualifying for funding.

Many educators say the larger challenge is not recruiting teachers but keeping them.

Houston teacher Tamra Johnson said teachers continue to love education but increasingly struggle with the demands placed on them.

“Teachers are not leaving because there is a lack of love for education,” Johnson said. “You used to be able to go into your classroom every day and teach with joy, but now there are so many demands.”

Teacher Jennifer Germany expressed similar concerns.

“The teacher’s needs are continuously overlooked,” she said. “You have to ask yourself, is it worth it? Do I want to continue? I love the kids, but people forget that teachers are human.”

Those comments mirror concerns heard across the country as districts attempt to fill openings and retain experienced educators.

PA Needs Teachers is advocating for student-teacher stipends, apprenticeship programs and an educator workforce data system to improve recruitment and retention efforts.

Under the stipend program, qualifying student teachers can receive $10,000 while mentor teachers can receive up to $2,500. Participants agree to teach in Pennsylvania for at least three years or repay the funding.

The proposal is intended to encourage more people to enter the profession, as the teacher shortage is real. In the Lehigh Valley, however, the issue appears less about whether teachers exist and more about where they choose to teach and where they choose to stay.