Substitute Susan Fields supervises multivariable calculus class. The nationwide substitute shortage has left administrators searching for ways to retain their substitutes. "We have a lot of substitutes and it's hard for them to get around if they're spread very thin,” Fields said. Photo by Zoie Carlile
By August Lazzaro
Substitutes have a difficult job.
But now on top of wrangling wayward children, they have to scramble around to cover a growing number of unsupervised classes.
The substitute teacher shortage has affected teachers nationwide for decades, but after COVID-19 hit, the number of teachers with unfulfilled substitute requests rose to 20% according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“I would say we get around 13 [substitutes a day],” substitute coordinator Kathy Sloan said. “On any given day when I have a lot of [teacher] absences, the subs that I can get very seldom exceed that number.”
One contributor to the substitute shortage within the district specifically is the fact that substitutes here are compensated significantly less than those in neighboring districts. Substitutes are paid by the day, but one benefit of the district’s system is that once substitutes work for 10 days, they get a $5 pay increase for every additional day they come in.
“We're not anywhere near being in the pay bracket of [other schools],” substitute Susan Fields said. “The reason people go to other places is because they can make more money.”
Location presents another substantial challenge for substitutes, as most don’t live in or around the Park Cities.
“On any given day when I have a lot of [teacher] absences, the subs that I can get very seldom exceed that number.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to get them out here until they realize the level of students we have, their desire to learn and their cooperation,” Sloan said.
Additionally, many substitutes are dissuaded from working at high schools due to student hostility. Even within the district, more substitutes prefer working at elementary or middle schools due to high school students’ attitudes towards them.
“You hear of all the incidents in high schools with student behavior, and attitudes and that type of thing,” Sloan said. “[The substitutes] think if they go into elementary school, they're not gonna have to deal with a high level of those types of incidents.”
The pressure of the substitute shortage affects all departments of the school including teachers and administrators. All departments have to make sacrifices such as less time off and taking on additional responsibilities.
“I mean, [the school] needs us more than ever with the shortage. It's pretty simple, supply and demand,” substitute Robert Thompson said. “There are more people out than we have people to cover it, so it's a hassle and it's hard on the administration.”
Currently, administrators are trying to find a way to appeal to substitute teachers in ways other than compensation, hoping to curb the crisis.
“If we could find some creative thing to offer [substitutes], maybe free lunches or just something that most schools don't offer, that might help us bring in more subs,” Sloan said.
However, the number of substitutes varies largely on national employment rates, so even if the district tried different methods to retain substitutes, there would still be an aspect of unpredictability.
“[The administration] and district human resources have tried a few things and they've just not been as successful,” Sloan said. “Those jobs tend to run on the economy. If the economy's low or if there's a lot of layoffs, then we get a lot more subs.”
“The reason we come [here] when we could drive down the street, be in another school district and make $30 more a day, is because of the students, that is why we come here."
With the minimal number of substitutes in the districts, subs often have to run around the school just to beat the six-minute passing period.
“We have a lot of substitutes and it's hard for them to get around if they're spread very thin,” Fields said. “They have to move around more places much faster, and really be paying attention to what they’re doing because there are many places to cover.”
Because of the extreme shortage, teachers are now being asked to fill in for other missing teachers during their off-periods or lunches. This eats away at teachers’ time to prepare lesson plans and grade assignments.
“It's putting a lot of responsibility on teachers and asking teachers to take on more than their share,” Sloan said. “Although they are paid for the class period, it just puts more on their plate.”
Administrators, teachers and substitutes in the high school and all across the district are doing their very best to overcome this nationwide crisis and help bring substitutes back to the district.
“The reason we come [here] when we could drive down the street, be in another school district and make $30 more a day, is because of the students, that is why we come here,” Fields said. “Even though it is much less pay we keep coming because of working with the students.”