Schools Face Another Challenge as the Shortage of Substitute Teachers Increase

An ongoing demand and shortage of substitute teachers is affecting schools across the nation. A substitute teacher is someone who steps in to teach a class when the regular teacher needs to step away whether it’s for a few hours or days. For a long time, substitute teachers/subs were not in shortage and schools could easily find one to replace a teacher on leave.

With the ongoing pandemic, many teachers leaving the industry amid lockdowns in 2020 and full-time teachers are testing positive for COVID-19 and have to isolate as the demand for supply teachers grows higher every day. Schools administrators are rushing to replace these teachers, taking extra measures wherever needed even if it means that principals have to step in.

Schools are also having to shut down when necessary due to the extreme loss of supply of all teachers, both full-time and substitutes. Schools in Seattle closed as they have allowed too many staff members to take the day off following the Veterans Day holiday. A Michigan school district has also closed down for several days this month. Adding to this list, Colorado public schools have either moved to online learning or classes have been canceled altogether all due to the lack of teachers.

This shortage has made school districts so strained for supply teachers that they suddenly find their pay rising due to the low supply high demand situation. In a few cases, this has led to an overall rise in wages and even to a steady job. While a steady income is a benefit of this entire event, many schools are also lowering their standards for the hiring process. Already having a smaller requirement list than the regular full-time faculty, some states, within the last month, have also temporarily excluded their college degree requirements for potential hires. Understandably, this has raised many concerns among parents and other educators over the quality of education the future generations are receiving. However, with the combination of shutdowns and different schedules with remote learning, it’s for the best to still try and have some normality to keep learning every day, even with supply teachers.

Amid the crisis, school districts are also offering various incentives to keep their current staff and attract new teachers. Some districts in California and North Carolina are giving new teachers an additional $2,000 in signing bonuses. Some have resorted to using the federal stimulus funds to provide retention bonuses for teachers planning to stay an additional year. Other US school districts have also resorted to looking outside of the US for upcoming teaching talent.

Substitute teachers have often been overlooked as a profession, but this recent need for them has made us appreciate their work. They let teachers take a day off if need be while still letting students gain their education. Next time you have a supply teacher, remember to value their adaptability to keep students’ educations as the top priority.

Sources:

Agustin, Francis. “US School Districts Suffering Severe Substitute Teacher Shortages.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 5 Sept. 2021, www.businessinsider.com/school-districts-severe-substitute-teacher-shortages-covid-2021-9?amp.

Engle, Jeremy. “What Have Been Your Experiences with Substitute Teachers?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 17 Nov. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/learning/what-have-been-your-experiences-with-substitute-teachers.html.

Farrington, Jennifer. “Schools Struggle amid Substitute Teacher Shortages in the U.S.” Market Realist, Market Realist, 12 Nov. 2021, www.marketrealist.com/p/why-is-there-a-substitute-teacher-shortage/.