Addressing the Substitute Teacher Shortage

In an effort to address an anticipated substitute teacher shortage for the 2020-2021 school year, Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) issued a press release last week that read in part:

“Currently, individuals looking to obtain a substitute certificate must complete 60 semester hours or more of college-level credit from a DESE-recognized and regionally accredited academic degree granting institution. Following the State Board of Education’s decision today, individuals who possess a high school diploma or equivalent may complete a 20-hour state-approved substitute teacher online training to be eligible for a substitute certificate.”

I can attest to the fact that there has been an ongoing shortage of substitute teachers for the last several years. On many occasions, I have personally witnessed students being sent to other classrooms when a substitute could not be found to teach their class. With the very real possibility that teachers will be sent home to quarantine after being exposed to the coronavirus when children return to crowded classrooms this fall, the need for qualified substitutes will be greater than ever before.

The first question I pose to you today is this: Is lowering the certification requirements for substitute teachers in the best interest of our children?

Although substitutes are currently required to have completed the equivalent of two years of college classes, many subs(including myself) possess a four-year degree. Taking various college-level courses gives future substitutes a solid background in a wide range of fields. This is important because subs often teach a variety of subjects including math, science, biology, social studies, reading, writing, physical education, music, art, library, and more.

A person who dropped out of high school but managed to later earn a GED could obtain their sub certificate through DESE’s new plan. This means there could be a very real possibility that a person who dropped out of high school as a junior and never had a senior year could end up teaching high school seniors. This seems like a bad idea to me.

The second question I have for you is this: Is there a better way to address this shortage of qualified substitutes?

I have a bachelor’s degree and eight years of substitute teaching experience, and I earn $80 per day as a sub. This means that for working a full eight-hour school day, I earn just $10 per hour. According to Indeed.com, the average wage of an employee at McDonald’s is $10.48 per hour—no diploma or GED required.Therefore, subs earn less money for teaching high school students than high school students earn for flipping burgers at McDonald’s.

I can earn $400 per week if I work every school day, and even if I were to sub all 175 days of a school year, I would only earn $14,000 in nine months. Long-term subbing assignments pay $125 per day, which comes to $21,875 for an entire academic year of teaching. For reference, the Department of Health and Human Services fixes the official poverty level for a family of three at an income of $21,720.

I have taught students in general classrooms in six different grade levels and in PE, Art, Music, Library, Guidance, and Special Education. I’ve worked long-term teaching gigs in Art, Music, and second grade, and now I am mentally preparing to teach a long-term subbing assignment in kindergarten this fall during the world’s worst pandemic in the last 100 years.

I am a professional educator, and I deserve to be compensated as such.

Here’s a radical idea: Instead of allowing practically anyone with a pulse to become a certified substitute teacher, (as long as they can stay awake through 20 hours of online video training), why not pay professional substitute educators professional wages?

I do not fault my school district for my low pay. Southern Boone, like most districts, is in a budget crunch right now. In June, Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced his plan to cut $131 million from elementary and secondary education funding. “You could have never imagined that this is where we’d be today,” Parson said of the state’s financial crisis. But I disagree with the governor.

In 1980, Missourians passed what is now commonly called the Hancock Amendment. This measure makes it mandatory to refund to taxpayers any surplus in revenues greater than 1% of the revenue limitation. In other words, this measure makes it impossible to build up a “rainy day fund” that could be used to make up for future revenue shortfalls. This amendment to the Missouri constitution guarantees that when a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic causes a sharp drop in tax revenues, there would be no other choice but to cut funding for essential programs such as education.

If Missouri’s tax revenues are higher than expected next year, that money cannot be allocated to education to make up for this year’s shortfall. The Hancock Amendment would mandate that the money be refunded to taxpayers. Education funding will continue to suffer as long as this amendment is a part of our constitution.

 

Just how bad is it for educators in our state? According to the National Education Association, Missouri ranks 48th out of 50 states in starting teacher salary. If we pay our full-time teachers that poorly, then it can be no surprise that we pay substitutes less than fast food employees.

 

DESE’s plan to make it easier for unqualified people to become substitute teachers is not a solution to the sub shortage. Better pay for qualified, professional educators (substitutes and full-time teachers alike) is what will benefit our students and our communities the most.