"A lot of substitute teachers did not think it was worth it, risking their lives, in this city, for $15 an hour," said Washington, who is the president of Washington Substitute Teachers United."We were not valued, even though we are valued, we should be," she told Axios, adding that she has seen numerous substitute teachers leave the DCPS system throughout the pandemic.Public Schools, pointed to low pay, minimal benefits and the overall view of substitute teachers as reasons for the shortages. What they're saying: Myrtle Washington, a veteran substitute teacher in D.C. "Substitute teaching is not a profession for the faint of heart," she added.That's in part due the difficult nature of substitute teaching where "you're diving into a classroom that is generally filled with students who are in a bit of crisis right now," Kaufman said.More than 75% of school principals and district leaders said they were having trouble finding enough substitutes to cover teacher absences this year, according to a national EdWeek Research Center survey published in October 2021.The reliance on parents and other teacher volunteers is amplified by a waning substitute teacher force, a large number of whom left the profession during the pandemic.
"You're basically at the point where you're looking for bodies in a room to babysit kids because you want them in school," Kaufman said, adding that "you can't expect anybody to walk into a room and be able to teach kids.".The big picture: These last-ditch efforts may be necessary to keep schools physically open, but they are only "band-aid" solutions, Julia Kaufman, an education policy researcher at RAND corporation, said. Kevin Stitt (R) signed an order authorizing state employees to become substitute teachers without losing employment, pay or benefits. In Kansas, an emergency declaration eliminated college credit hours as a requirement for substitute teachers.What's happening: School districts in Texas, Idaho and Colorado have called on parents to fill in as substitute teachers, while officials in New Mexico asked the state's National Guard to step in. Why it matters: Substitute teachers have emerged as a vital part of schools' reopening efforts, but they are in short supply after years of being overlooked and undervalued. School districts and officials nationwide are begging parents to step in, loosening requirements for substitute teachers and, in one case, asking the National Guard for help as last-ditch efforts to stay open amid the latest COVID-19 surge.
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