Covid outbreaks are leading to dramatic staff shortages and draining substitute teacher reserves.
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Schools around the country are facing a sub shortage so severe they can’t even stomach a Jimmy John’s joke right now. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order Tuesday to allow state employees to work as substitute teachers while keeping their current jobs, and yesterday New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham even asked the National Guard to help grade all those personal essays.
Given the detrimental effects of Zoom school, officials are desperate to keep classrooms open. Problem is, Covid outbreaks are leading to dramatic staff shortages and draining substitute teacher reserves. So how are they coping?
- States including California have rewritten the requirements to become a substitute teacher in order to speed up the hiring process and make it easier for retired teachers to come back.
- Kansas lifted requirements for substitute teachers to the extent that individuals with no college experience can step in.
- In some Utah districts, principals are asking parents to be subs.
Big picture: At least 7,030 schools (about 7%) across the country canceled in-person classes last week because of Covid issues, like outbreaks or staffing shortages, according to the school tracking site Burbio.—MM
