‘Substitutes needed!’ Lack of subs cause local school districts to bump pay

There’s no substitute for a good teacher, and that’s exactly the problem these days. Based on raw numbers and comments from local educators, the situation is critical.

“The substitute teacher shortage is real and adversely impacting school districts,” said Robert Roettger, superintendent of the Cheney School District.

For a variety of reasons, the pool of qualified substitutes has shriveled to the point where some districts are crying for help.

The good news? Becoming a substitute is easier than ever.

“Substitutes needed!” screams the home page of the Spokane Public Schools website. The website goes on to explain the relatively easy steps – provided you have at least a bachelor’s degree of any kind – to become an emergency substitute teacher and earn at least $150 per day.

The reasons for the shortage are varied, but most are a byproduct of the pandemic, which will hit the two-year mark in March.

Many substitutes are retired teachers who may be at higher risk for serious COVID-19 complications and may feel uncomfortable returning to school buildings. Nationally, some administrators say they’re having an especially hard time finding substitutes for elementary schools, since those students are all unvaccinated.

And like full-time teachers, substitutes must deal with the day-to-day rituals of the pandemic: mask mandates, COVID-19 testing protocols, physical distancing requirements and handwashing and sanitizing stations.

A national survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center in early October found that 77% of principals and district leaders said they have struggled to hire a sufficient number of substitute teachers.

More administrators pointed to difficulties hiring subs than any other staffing position.

Prior to the pandemic, the national average fill rate – that is, the percentage of teacher absences covered by a substitute – was about 80%. That rate currently sits between 50% and 60%.

“There are many days when staff members are covering for one another within a building,” Roettger said. “On many occasions, especially at the secondary level, classroom teachers have covered classes when there is an unfilled absence (during their prep period).”

At Spokane Public Schools, the district prefers to maintain a substitute pool of 700 to 800, “with 400 to 500 working and taking jobs,” said Jodi Harmon, chief human resource officer for the district of almost 30,000 students.

“Currently we have 312 certificated subs,” Harmon said. Of those, about 100 have picked up long-term positions in Spokane and other districts. Another 100 “are not currently working at all,” Harmon said.

At the Mead School District, according to Public Information Officer Todd Zeidler, “we’ve had to utilize other certificated staff, including principals and other district personnel to cover classrooms.”

The substitute shortage is caused by high demand and low supply. Teachers are out more frequently than usual because they’ve been exposed to or contracted COVID-19 and must quarantine, or because their own children have to quarantine.

Also, school districts across the country are dealing with unfilled teaching positions carried over from last year. District leaders usually prioritize having substitutes cover long-term absences, which means they lack subs to cover the short-term absences.

The large number of two-week absences is unique to the pandemic and creates more logistical challenges.

Often, the substitutes who are interested in longer-term jobs are already covering a teacher’s classroom. The available substitutes might not be able to work every day, which means districts will have to piece together a schedule for the two weeks, creating a disjointed experience for students.

Also, private businesses are aggressively recruiting workers, and substitute teaching has historically been a low-paid job with no benefits. Now, someone could feasibly make more money working at Starbucks.

Districts are fighting back. At Spokane Public Schools, the daily rate for a certificated sub was increased this year, from $132 per day to $150.

For those working in special education, daily pay went up from $142 to $165. Mead and Cheney also have boosted salaries for subs from $130 a day to $155.

It’s also easier than ever to become an emergency substitute. Rules vary by district, but in Spokane the following groups are eligible:

• Community members who have a current bachelor’s degree and have experience working with children.
• Current parents who have a bachelor’s degree.
• Certificated teachers from another state that are not able to switch their current certificate to the state of Washington.

Application can be made to the posting on the district website. Once the application is on file with Substitute Services, the prospective substitute will be contacted by a human resources specialist.

However, the emergency substitute applications can take up to four to six weeks to process with OSPI.