Local school officials are worried the ongoing safety concerns from coronavirus will further shrink the potential pool of substitute teachers making themselves available for fill-in work in the coming school year.
And in the new world of social distancing spacing in classrooms, a lack of subs may force some school buildings to temporary close, said local school officials.
“We are down compared to last year at this time by about 100 candidates out of the total pool of 500,” said Chris Brown, superintendent of the Butler County Educational Services Center (BCESC), which helps coordinate the placement of substitute instructors for the county’s 11 public school systems.
Working as a part-time instructor has often been done by retired, usually older former teachers, but the recent spikes in positive coronavirus cases, including the placement of Butler County by state officials into a Level 3 status, has some now hesitant to sign up for work.
“There are real concerns among some retired teachers and they are taking a wait-and-see approach,” Brown said, referring to the start of classes for local districts toward the end of next month.
Ohio requires all substitutes to be licensed by the Ohio Department of Education, and there has been a severe shortage of workers in recent years as instructors born during the Baby Boom age into retirement.
Substitute teachers earn $100 for an eight-hour day, and local school districts make the decisions on whom to hire from the candidate pool coordinated by BCESC and its counterpart in Warren County.
As the opening for the 2020-21 school year approaches, officials at area districts are adding substitute shortages to their list of worries under coronavirus.
“We are very concerned about securing substitute teachers and paraprofessionals,” said Dawn Gould, spokeswoman for Kings Schools in southern Warren County. “In recent years, on some days, especially Mondays and Fridays, we have had a difficult time filling our staff absences. Many times, we would have to double up classes to cover for a staff absence.
“But with COVID-19 and physical distancing guidelines, that will not be possible this year. In our reopening plan, we have indicated that we may have to close school(s) intermittently if we are unable to cover staff absences.”
In Edgewood Schools, officials are getting the word out through its employees in hopes of recruiting more qualified adults to work as subs.
“Finding qualified substitute teachers can be difficult in the best of times,” said Alesia Beckett, human resource director for Edgewood
“We encourage our employees to have family members who are seeking employment and enjoy working with children to consider substitute teaching as well,” said Beckett.
Holli Morrish, spokeswoman for Talawanda Schools, said her district “is concerned that there will be a shortage of subs. I think all school districts have to be concerned about this potential shortage.”
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