Who's minding the class when the teacher's out? Are there enough substitute teachers?

With the school year starting, eastern Connecticut schools have varying needs when it comes to having enough substitutes to run a classroom.

So far, Lebanon Public Schools has enough substitutes to meet its needs so far. Finding substitutes when teachers are out through the year may be a challenge, Superintendent Andrew Gonzalez said.

“We’re doing everything we can as a district to make ourselves marketable,” he said.

Other schools in eastern Connecticut have a more stable picture for their substitute situation. Norwich Free Academy, for example, has two full-time substitutes who take assignments daily. The school also has a list of substitutes it can call on when needed. However, NFA is “always looking for qualified subs to be ready as needed,” Communications Director Mike O’Farrell stated in an email.

For Killingly Public Schools, the substitute need can vary, but actually securing substitute pay has always been difficult, as other schools may pay more, and some substitutes serve in multiple schools. Substitutes can also be particular about what age range they prefer teaching, Assistant Superintendent Diane Summa said during the summer.

“It can be a geographical kind of thing, or if their kids are in that school system,” she said.

Lebanon Public Schools’ daily substitute pay rate last year was $105 for non-certified positions, and $126 for certified positions , which is an average rate for the area. Killingly, Sterling and Stafford paid more, Canterbury was the same, and Bozrah and Brooklyn paid less, for example. However, the technical school system pays the most for substitute teachers, so the public schools need to compete against them to get substitutes, Gonzalez said.

Additionally, Lebanon is an out-of-the-way town, so potential substitutes would pass Colchester or Hebron to the west or go through Norwich or Windham from the east to get there.

This said, Lebanon Public Schools is using advertising on social media and on its website to alert people to substitute teaching availability.  The district has still been able to create a pool of dedicated substitutes to draw on, who are loyal to the district and enjoy its values and culture, Gonzalez said.

“We hope that once our new subs join, we hope that they feel that sense of connection and that close knit environment,” he said.

When substitutes aren’t available, teachers are asked to cover multiple classes, possibly during their prep time or free time, Summa said.

“It creates a financial situation, because you’re asking them to extend what their schedule was built on,” she said.

Long-term substitutes

To fill a longer-term opening, Killingly Public Schools will use durational shortage area permit personnel. These people are state-approved, and have a college degree close enough to the class subject that needs to be taught, Summa said.

If Killingly would need someone to teach a math class, but a math teacher can’t be found, the district might present the state with someone that has a technology bachelor’s degree, but took a lot of math courses for state approval, Summa said.

Lebanon Public Schools follows state guidelines, and would also utilize any flexibility the state would give for substitutes. This includes bringing in Lyman Memorial High School alumni studying education to serve as substitutes when possible, Gonzalez said.

When substitutes aren’t available, building principals in Lebanon have to rearrange schedules so other teachers can cover multiple classes, or move more students into the same classroom, Gonzalez said.

“Definitely not ideal, but we have a very flexible and understanding staff that know the situation and are willing to help,” he said.

Many people left education during the pandemic, and made all kinds of teacher shortages more prevalent than before. Summa began her education career in the 1970s, and much has changed. Accountability, assessments and mandates make it a difficult profession to get people into, Summa said.

“I’m not sure if young people are going into the profession any longer,” she said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Eastern CT schools face shortage of substitute teachers - how they deal