Districts across country dealing with substitute teacher shortages
by Matt Lavonas | Sep 17, 2018 | News
Districts across the country are being put to the test as they deal with substitute teacher shortages.
The problem has all schools, including ones here in Rochester, scrambling for solutions.
In a day, districts could need hundreds of substitutes, not because teachers are calling out, but because schools don’t have enough teachers to begin with.
Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester Teachers Union, says the cause of the problem is multifold; existing substitutes are being hired full-time to aid the teacher gap while new candidates are intimidated by the demands of the job like working in different classes and buildings.
“Kids in a class without a teacher get broken up into groups and added to other classes which really injures the prospects for learning,” the RTA leader explained.
Urbanski says a new strategy districts are trying is hiring newly retired teachers.
“They already know the curriculum. A lot of them,even though they like retirement, don’t mind coming in occasionally,” explained Urbanski.
“We are developing a new strategy. We are developing building substitute teachers so they’re assigned to a building and whenever they’re called, they go to that particular building,” said Urbanski.
This will allow the substitute to get familiar with the school and the students.
If you’re interested, substitute teaching pays around $100 a day and up. You can find applications on your school district’s website.
By Beth Cefalu
September 16, 2018
original link: https://www.whec.com/news/districts-across-country-dealing-with-substitute-teacher-shortages-/5072876/
