Top Wichita Falls ISD officials take vacation days during COVID surge; teachers feel pressure not to

Wichita Falls ISD's top administrators took personal days this month for family vacations while teachers feel pressured to forego time off amidst the omicron surge and a substitute shortage.

Superintendent Mike Kuhrt and Associate Superintendent Peter Griffiths both took leave around Martin Luther King Day, a Jan. 17 school holiday.

“We don't get subs to fill our spots. We’re just not here, and all those days were planned well in advance," Kuhrt said after the Jan. 18 School Board meeting.

He had a personal day Jan. 14, the Friday before Martin Luther King Day, and took a trip to Red River, New Mexico. Griffiths took leave Jan. 13 through Jan. 18 to go to Guatemala for a niece's baptism and a mass for a cousin who had died suddenly.

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While their leave days triggered ire among some, one WFISD educator had no issue with them taking personal days — but pointed to wider concerns.

"The problem is the timing and the systemic cultural problem in education where everyone expects teachers to never miss," said the teacher, who commented on the condition of anonymity because of fear of retaliation.

The teacher praised Kuhrt and Griffiths for prioritizing their families and mental health.

"We (teachers and community) should see them as great leaders who are setting an example of what we should all start doing," the educator said.

All teachers should use leave days as they wish and take family time when they want to, the teacher said.

"One problem, they can’t. They aren’t allowed," the educator said. "That should be changed."

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Other workers take vacation, but teachers are taught from the beginning they must always be at school, the teacher said.

"That’s just not true. The pandemic should have taught us that," the teacher said.

And summer is not a vacation for educators, the teacher said. They aren't contracted for summers and don't receive paychecks then. They still work.

Griffiths said he put in a leave request about three months in advance. He faced a dilemma as the omicron surge hit.

"I knew the optics of me leaving would not be the best," he said in a message Thursday.

But Griffiths "truly felt that God works in mysterious ways," he said.

"I had an opportunity to pay respect for my family on the passing of one of my cousins, comfort my uncles, cousins and nieces and celebrate the Baptism of my Niece's daughter into our Catholic faith in a short period of time," Griffiths said in the message.

While out of the country, he stayed in touch and had virtual meetings with the Texas Education Agency and WFISD staff, he said.

Schools struggle with staff absences due to COVID

Finding substitute teachers and dealing with staff absences has been tough across the country amidst the pandemic and labor shortages.

The struggle at one school is evident in messages ahead of Martin Luther King Day.

"I cannot approve any more time off for this Friday 1/14, FYI," Rider High School Principal Cody Blair wrote to staff in a Jan. 11 message provided to the Times Record News. "Also, 21 out today, only 11 filled. Be aware & help your neighbors."

In a Jan. 14 message, he thanked staff members for helping out since 30 people were out that day and 12 substitute spots were unfilled.

In other messages, Blair told staff members he couldn't approve any more time off requests for Dec. 3, Dec. 10, Jan. 6, Jan. 7, Jan. 20, Jan. 21 and this coming Friday.

Kuhrt said principals can request teachers not take time off, but they can't tell them not to use their personal days because staff members can take them whenever they want.

"Principals are always asking teachers to delay using a day if they know they're going to be really tight that day," he said.

"Like I said, do not tell people not to use their days," Kuhrt said.

COVID shortages lead to high demand for substitute teachers

Blair did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

WFISD Communications Officer Ashley Thomas said her comments could be used in lieu of a statement from Blair.

"Because of the high demand for subs right now, principals have the discretion to not approve a personal day off for a teacher if there are going to be several teachers out on that particular day," Thomas said.

District administrators know the unexpected arises, but if possible staff members should plan ahead to ensure personal day requests are granted, she said.

But teachers aren't forbidden or discouraged from taking personal days off, she said.

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In fact, 20.8 percent of teacher absences Thursday in WFISD were personal days off as opposed to, for instance, a day off for illness, she said.

Kuhrt said the percentage of substitute positions filled at WFISD depends on the day.

“Normally we have about an 80 percent fill rate, but lately, it’s been about 50 percent," he said after the Jan. 18 School Board meeting.

Administrators are filling some of those spots, according to a Jan. 18 email Kuhrt sent to WFISD staff members.

"I want you to know that administrative staff at the Ed Center is working to help fill some of the unfilled positions on campuses," Kuhrt said in the email obtained by TRN.

Both Kuhrt and Griffiths have served as substitute teachers this year, Kuhrt said in the email.

They will continue to as their schedules allow and will reach out to local businesses to ask for substitute help, Kuhrt said in the email.

Griffiths said he canceled meetings Jan. 12 to substitute at Franklin Elementary School for the entire day. His secretary joined him since the school had lost their front office staff except for the principal.

WFISD weighs incentives for subs and staff

In addition, WFISD officials presented possible remedies during the Jan. 18 board meeting.

“We're trying to come up with ways to incentivize subs to work more and trying to figure out a way to get staff members to take less days … and get more money for it," Kuhrt said after the meeting.

The School Board approved incentive pay Jan. 18 for substitute teachers to earn up to $10 more per day, depending on how many days they work.

The incentive was posted the next day on the district's Facebook page with a call for those interested in subbing to apply.

Pay is $110 a day for certified teachers, $90 for people with degrees but no certification, and $80 a day for those without degrees.

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School administrators also proposed an incentive for teachers on staff.

If a teacher doesn't use a day of locally granted leave, they accrue $30, Kuhrt said. If the teacher leaves after working over five years, they receive $30 for each day of local leave they haven't used.

WFISD staff proposed raising that to $80 a day, but School Board members didn't come to an agreement on the incentive during the Jan. 18 meeting.

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Trish Choate, enterprise watchdog reporter for the Times Record News, covers education, courts, breaking news, politics and more. Contact Trish with news tips at tchoate@gannett.com. Her Twitter handle is @Trishapedia.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls ISD leaders vacation amid omicron surge, staff shortage