More than three-quarters of U.S. states are experiencing a teacher shortage, highlighting a growing concern among public education and government officials about challenges that were exacerbated during three years of the COVID-19 pandemic. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on pandemic learning published in June 2022 found that public education lost about 7{515baef3fee8ea94d67a98a2b336e0215adf67d225b0e21a4f5c9b13e8fbd502} of its total teaching population (233,000) between 2019 and 2021 — with many educators, in phone calls, text messages and interviews with ABC News, citing strict time demands, persisting behavioral issues and lack of administrative support, among other obstacles. According to the education departments, agencies and associations surveyed for this story, staffing issues have continued. “Our nation…