Substitute teachers in short supply
Posted Jan. 27, 2022
Staff Reporter
The increase in teacher absences has put a strain on the substitute teacher pool.
The strain stems from school districts going back to distance learning, worried that not enough supervision will make it hard to control the pandemic. North Clackamas, Centennial, David Douglas and other metro school districts announced on Jan. 12 that they would close for Jan. 13-14 to prepare for the possibility of going back to comprehensive distance learning. Some DD schools did distance, including Earl Boyles and Mill Park elementary schools. Earl Boyles
reported 23% staff absent, with 42% students absent. Mill Park was in the 20%-25% staff range. The district plans to keep remaining schools open if absence levels stay below 20%-25%.
Substitute shortages also have a big impact on keeping schools open and maintained. David Marsh, a history teacher at Franklin High School, said he had a substitute teacher cancel the day before they were scheduled, ending up with other teachers covering his class. In past years, Marsh said he always chose to just come to work even with a cold, but with the pandemic, he had to change his outlook to a “tough it out” approach. Sandra “Sunny” Childes is a retired educator who now subs for schools, primarily Franklin High School.
“When you’ve got kids who don’t have the stamina, and they’re masked, and you’ve got teachers who are tired, it makes it a harder day for the sub,” she stated to The Oregonian.
Childes is paid by the day, so any classes she picks up during prep periods or time she spends after school goes unpaid.
This substitute teacher shortage, on top of teacher absences, has forced action at the state level. The Oregon Teacher Standards and Practice Commission made a temporary rule to loosen requirements for substitute teachers.