Teachers, is this a problem in your district?

[sarahswim]

We def have a shortage of subs. This year, it seems to be a combo of 2 reasons: first, all schools in our county now go through the same kiosk for subs, so when a sub sees the school options to choose from, he/she will likely choose a better school. Second, we have the option to block incompetent subs, and many have been banned for their incompetence (for teaching a 1st grader to remove his own skin tag, for example).

[littlepeanut]

Yup. We have an online system. It has worked great until this year. I put in my absence last night at 6:30 and still didn't have a sub today. I think they pulled someone else from another classroom that has a teacher and an assistant. It makes me feel awful, and it shouldn't. I have sick days and I'm sick. So frustrating. I teach a specialty subject.

[frontbutt]

Where I'm at, the norm is to farm the classes when there's no sub. It happens almost daily.

[bugandbibs]

We have a plethora of subs. Every district I work in uses online requesting. You can pre-arrange with a sub, request a sub so it's offered to them first, or put out a general sub request.

It's harder to get a sub for my position, but I have yet to have an open job this year.

[RoxMonster]

We actually usually have the opposite issue--too many subs in the district and not enough jobs to keep them all working as much as they'd like.

My school does try to cover internally when possible, especially if someone will only be gone part of the day. But the first year we moved in together down here, H was subbing in my district, and had to quit after one year because it wasn't cutting it pay-wise. There weren't enough sub jobs to go around and he was working maybe one day a week.

[EmilieMadison]

Feb 6, 2015 15:46:48 GMT -5 tators said:

Feb 6, 2015 14:17:59 GMT -5 EmilieMadison said:

WUT. I assume that's not legal? It's not legal here for an unlicensed person- even our librarian- to be in charge of a classroom.

You don't have to have a license here at all. :/

Wait WHAT?? You dont have to have a teaching license to TEACH? 
This is blowing my "I live in a place where you can't even sub without a license" mind.

[sugarbear]

I'm in a private school, but yes, we have this problem. We have about 20 subs on our list, but all but 4 refuse to sub in the middle school. So the middle school teachers end up covering each others' classes all the damn time. It's super frustrating.

[joenali]

Feb 6, 2015 18:10:33 GMT -5 EmilieMadison said:

Feb 6, 2015 15:46:48 GMT -5 tators said:

You don't have to have a license here at all. :/

Wait WHAT?? You dont have to have a teaching license to TEACH? 
This is blowing my "I live in a place where you can't even sub without a license" mind.

I feel like the district I work in needs to allow those who hold bachelor's degrees should be able to hold emergency sub certificates as well.

[katfco]

Our district has a really hard time finding subs. We pay better than a lot of the districts around us, but people would rather sub in the suburbs than our city. Our school in particular has had people refused to sub for us.

And then there's my program, which is a Title II program and on a different subbing system. We currently have 4 subs for our program (which runs in many schools around the city), so we try very hard not to have unscheduled days off. In fact, in the case of Monday, I have a scheduled day off and they don't have a sub for me. My principal said they'll figure something out, and the assistant principal might just cover for me.

[grover]

We have a ton of co-taught classes in my district, so generally if a position isn't filled the class goes as regularly scheduled with just the one regular teacher. Or, if the person out doesn't have a co-teacher, then the pull a special education co-teacher from another room. Or they fill internally by having us give up our plans.

Our subs get $105/day if filling certified position. $75 for parapro positions, and $34/hour if we are internal subbing.

[balletofangels]

Huge problem!

The district contracted with a sub placement company to try and fix this, thinking they'd have a bigger pool, and now we are paying more per sub and still have a shortage.

[cabbage10]

Oh man the sub issue is one of the worst parts of teaching. As if being out wasn't bad enough, knowing that basically your friends are having to cover your class when they are overworked sucks.

Every day multiple people are called over the intercom to cover. Also Wednesday 6 teachers were out for a mandatory training (put into the system over a week ago) and nit a single sub picked up the job. That was fun?

I think our subs get $80/day

[janetplanet20]

This is a huge problem in my district. I'm a TOSA/instructional coach and work out of the district office. We frequently are called to sub bc our district doesn't have enough subs. It was a huge problem yesterday bc they needed us to sub, but we all had a ton of our own work to do. This morning they had 25 absences that did not have a sub. They had to cancel an ELA PD that was scheduled for today bc of the lack of subs.

It's a horrible problem. The MS and HS try to have their own teachers period sub on their preps, which I do t agree with either. Our HR dept doesn't want to increase the sub pool though, which makes no sense.

[theoverlander]

Yep.  I'm just north of Seattle and we got a lecture about the sub shortage this week.  Too bad my whole damn family came down with the flu this week so I was out 3 out of 5 days.

[prettyinpink]

Yes. I'm at a small charter. We have a small pool for us, the middle, and the elementary schools. It happens all the time where other teachers are covering each other.

[irishbride2]

We cover each others classes all the time. We struggle to get subs. So we fill in the gaps ourselves.

[joenali]

Feb 6, 2015 20:08:45 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

We cover each others classes all the time. We struggle to get subs. So we fill in the gaps ourselves.

Doesn't that puss everyone off? I mean, your planning time is your planning time. This would be against our contract.

[irishbride2]

Feb 6, 2015 20:19:21 GMT -5 joenali said:

Feb 6, 2015 20:08:45 GMT -5 irishbride2 said:

We cover each others classes all the time. We struggle to get subs. So we fill in the gaps ourselves.

Doesn't that puss everyone off? I mean, your planning time is your planning time. This would be against our contract.

Private school life is different. We all step up and volunteer. We aren't forced. It is a very different mentality than when I taught public school and it was "I'm not doing it if it isn't in my contract."

our contracts are very vague and we all tend to volunteer for a lot. Its just a different culture. On the flip side, we get a ton of autonomy and a lot of say in how the school runs in general. So there are pluses and minuses. 

[spedrunner]

we have problems with subs at times but from my knowledge it has always been worked out, by moving a few people around, etc. Someone legally certified is aalways in the room

[bigoleworm]

We used to. We now use some computer based program that goes to various schools in the county,
Ics teachers used to be pulled or assistants with sub certs.

We haven't had a problem since getting our new super and this new program.

[Jenniatonu]

Yes, it's a problem. We don't pay subs well at all. ($60 a day.)

The school will use me, if they need a sub. They also have a problem with subs who will accept the job, but then not show up or cancel.


But our school district also fired all librarians, and hired "aides" instead. The one aide works only 20 hours a week, but they want her there 4 hours, every day. So she can NOT get another job to help with income. We make less than subs.

[hippygirl]

My district has a shortage of subs. Our resource teacher will cover classes. Or they break the class up and other teachers will take the students for the day. Teachers who take the extra kids get paid extended duty.

[spk926]

Yes, it's a big problem at lots of districts in my area. My district has even started accepting short call subs. They haven't done that in YEARS!

[Doggy Mommy]

Yes, there have been sub shortages in both districts I have worked in. My co-worker was supposed to have Thursday afternoon off for an appointment, and they couldn't get anyone so she ended up staying and canceling her appointment. It was worse in the other district though. There were many days that co-workers and I would split up a class for the day since there wasn't a sub.

[hulley]

Subs in my district are paid $60/day and $30 for a half day. We haven't had issues this year but last year we went into contingency a lot (split classes up among the remaining grade keel teachers) due to not having subs.

[EmilieMadison]

My district pays $110/day and I think it's shitty, considering this is the same amount I was getting as a sub in 2001, and we're pretty squarely MCOL. In fact, my brother is a substitute paraprofessional in a nearby district and he actually gets about the same per day and all he has is a HS diploma.
But $60/day? OMG, that's barely minimum wage here!

Our district has a hard time getting enough subs for certain schools because we dont pay as much as other districts and we're a very large urban district with some pretty tough schools. There ARE enough subs, but they just dont want the jobs available.

[Doggy Mommy]

Feb 7, 2015 1:07:18 GMT -5 @kirkette said:

Feb 6, 2015 17:02:25 GMT -5 @jehc said:

What the FUCK?

$20 a DAY?

No. I don't believe this.

Word!
Holy shit, $20/ a day. That's fucked up.
I spent more than that on lunch.

I don't believe this either. That would be $2.66 an hour (our sub day is 7.5 hours).