Educators weigh in on decision to lower bar for substitute teachers

Oct. 16—UNION COUNTY — Local educators are expressing qualified support for the Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission's recent decision to temporarily relax the state's standards for substitute teachers.

The TSPC's decision means educators no longer need a bachelor's degree to work as substitute teachers in Oregon. The emergency rule the TSPC put in place was made to help school districts deal with a statewide shortage of substitute teachers and expires March 31, 2022. It pertains only to people sponsored by a school district and allows them to work only in that district.

North Powder School District Superintendent Lance Dixon supports TSPC's move because it will make it more likely that students throughout the state will be able to continue receiving in-person instruction instead of being taught online via school districts' Comprehensive Distance Learning programs.

"Whatever it takes to keep kids in school is better than CDL," he said.

Dixon said his district will not be in a situation in which it will have to hire substitutes who do not have bachelor's degrees.

"We have a good pool of substitutes," Dixon said.

Imbler School District Superintendent Doug Hislop is philosophical when discussing the TSPC's move. Hislop said that overall he believes people who have bachelor's degrees are better qualified to be substitute teachers, especially if their training is in education. Hislop noted, though, that there are individuals who have never been to college who have what it takes to be good substitute teachers because of an innate ability to connect and communicate with children and teenagers.

"There are some people who you can tell right away that they would make good substitute teachers," he said. "They probably could come in and do a great job."

Using caution

Hislop said that in many cases these individuals understand young people well because they are parents.

On the other side of the spectrum are people who are excellent at working with children and teenagers primarily because of what they learned in college, Hislop said. The Imbler superintendent said he would be cautious about bringing in substitute teachers with limited college backgrounds because of the challenging nature of providing classroom instruction.

"Sometimes teaching can be like trying to change the tire of a car traveling 60 miles per hour," he said.

La Grande School District Superintendent George Mendoza said the TSPC's emergency rule will not impact his school district because it is not facing a substitute teacher shortage. He credits this in part to his school district's proximity to Eastern Oregon University and the strong ties it has to it.

Mendoza said those it can draw upon to serve as substitutes teachers include students in EOU's master of education program. These are students with bachelor's degrees who are pursuing a master's degree in education so they can teach. The La Grande School District has not yet had to draw upon these students to serve as substitute teachers, but Mendoza said it is nice to know they are available if needed.

Mendoza also noted that his district has 15 staff members who are not teachers but have bachelor's degrees and have expressed interest in serving as substitute educators. He said it would be easy to provide them with the assistance needed to become certified to teach as substitutes.

Mark Mulvihill, superintendent of the InterMountain Education Service District, is a big supporter of the TSPC's decision.

"It is a really, really positive thing for Oregon. It will allow flexibility during the pandemic," he said.

'This isn't new'

The TSPC's move will ease the labor shortage school districts are facing, a reality that has become more stressful because of educators stepping down for COVID-19 pandemic-related reasons.

Mulvihill added that after the pandemic is over he believes the state should look at permanently easing some of its standards substitute teachers have to meet.

"We need to determine if current standards are applicable today," he said.

Mulvihill said that the requirement in place before the TSPC's emergency measure, that all substitutes have a bachelor's degree, even if it isn't an education degree, is not always a sensible one.

"How having a degree in accounting helps you as a substitute teacher, I'm not sure," he said.

Mulvihill noted that in other states the standards for substitute teachers have been lower than Oregon's for years.

"This isn't new," he said.

Mulvihill said one of the best things about the TSPC's change is that it makes it easier for districts to rate substitutes on more than their educational background.

"It gives school districts the needed flexibility for evaluating substitute teachers on performance," he said.

Mulvihill stressed that lowering standards for substitute teachers should not be confused with lowering standards for full-time teachers.

"Teaching is an art. I don't want to take away from what it takes to be a full-time teacher," he said.

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Dick Mason is a reporter with The Observer primarily covering the communities of North Powder, Imbler, Island City and Union, education, Union County veterans programs and local history. Dick joined The Observer in 1983, first working as a sports and outdoors reporter.