Substitute teacher shortage begins to improve in new year

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Staff Writer

Normally, when a teacher calls out of work for any reason, a substitute is readily available to fill the gap. However, this school year started out with a shortage of available substitutes. While the problem was intense around December when the COVID Omicron variant began to surge, the demand for substitute teachers has begun to decline.

The substitute shortage experienced from late October to mid-January presented a major obstacle for staff and students to overcome. In the last few weeks, the need for substitute teachers has gone down as fewer teachers need to call out of work and the school adopts new practices to lessen the need for substitutes. However, the lack of substitutes continues to be a problem.

“Because of the pandemic, we have less subs available. I guess they are scared to work. They do not get paid enough to take the risk. So, we definitely see less subs coming in,” said tenth grade assistant principal and substitute teacher coordinator Diana Hurtado. “There are teachers that are out, and they use substitute plans, those plans cannot go into effect without a sub.”

Although the shortage is a county-wide issue, West Broward has been particularly hit because of its location. West Broward is on Pines Boulevard and State Road 27, and the pay for substitute teachers is not a wage many people find worth the risk of illnes or travel time. Since the location of the school cannot change, the only way for the school to attract more substitutes is to increase the pay.

“I think it is funding and I think it is the location of our school. A lot of our subs do not live in this area and so they are driving really far to get here,” said Principal Brad Fatout. “[The pay rate] used to be 13 bucks. Now it is 15, so that helps out a lot too.”

A more permanent solution administration has come up with is to start calling in teachers to cover classes during their planning period. Asking other teachers to cover absences has enabled the school to reduce holding areas and ensure that students will be able to do supervised work.

“We try to get other teachers that do not have a class for that period to cover so there is a teacher with the kids,” Fatout said. “That helps a lot. If not, we do a room where administration meets.”

The need for substitute teachers has also gone down as fewer teachers test positive for COVID. Less teachers out at a given time has helped ease the problem, but not resolved it. The need for substitutes still spikes on holidays, Mondays and Fridays. Although the problem may be manageable now, there is still a lot of progress to be made before it can be considered resolved.

“We have a lot of subs that do not want to come back for various reasons,” said secretary and substitute teacher coordinator Ann Wingett. “I have a couple who have come back so I feel like it is getting better, but it is slowly, very slowly, getting better.”

BOUNCING BACK: Administrative assistant and Substitute Teacher Coordinator Ann Wingett prepares paperwork and classroom keys for substitutes. Less substitutes are needed due to the increasing pay and less teachers calling out sick. Photo by Cesar Guadamuz