Substitute Shortage

Substitutes Slipping Away

Declining numbers of substitute teachers nationwide affect Conifer High School Classrooms

By Mia Vaughn

Schools all over the United States, including Conifer High School, have been struggling to find substitutes when teachers are unable to work. Although Conifer has not been hit as hard as other schools within the district, substitutes are still hard to come by, especially with COVID still looming over the public. Ariana Pensy is a senior at Conifer who recently moved to Colorado from Arizona. “It seems like here they are handling it better because you actually have subs,” Pensy said, “There were times at my school [in Arizona] where we would be in class and there would just be no teacher.” Full-time teachers have been hard-hit by the shortage. When something comes up where they are not able to be at school, they need to scramble find someone to cover their class. “Typically, if we know we are missing a day in advance, we can call our favorite substitutes to see if they have the availability to cover our absence.” Jessie McFadden-Barr, a science teacher at CHS, said. “If it’s an emergency, we can put a request in our automated sub system and subs from around Jefferson county can pick up the sub job. Frequently, it’s these last-minute sub-jobs that aren’t ever picked up by a sub, leaving us without coverage for a teacher.” The shortage is not something completely new. Substitute teachers have always

“When the pandemic happened, many of our substitutes, who are retired teachers themselves, decided the risk of teaching on the classroom was too great,” Mc-Fadden said. (Cory Neumeier, CHSToday)

been difficult to come by due to controversy over pay. Teaching can be a strenuous job, especially if the students don’t behave. “If subs aren’t compensated at a rate that makes the job worth their time and energy, many subs are going to decide not to continue as substitutes,” McFadden-Barr said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, issues only got worse. Many people did not want to have lengthy interactions with others, and this included subs. The risk of being exposed to COVID-19 in a classroom is high because many people are in a room with limited ventilation. Getting sick often isn’t worth the risk of being in class for substitute teachers, not to mention that many of these substitutes are older, which makes them particularly susceptible to the virus. Cindy Klinker has been a substitute teacher for 11 years. Her kids have come and gone through the Jeffco school system and she has connections with many teachers, making it easier to find jobs. “It’s been way busier than ever,” she said. “I have been receiving calls ever since the beginning of school. This year I have been asked months in advance to sub. I have had so many phone calls and texts, and have even been stopped in the hall.” Teachers need to be proactive about filling absences,

If subs aren’t compensated at a rate that makes the job worth their time and energy, many subs are going to decide not to continue.

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because there just aren’t enough substitutes to go around. “I can just get stuck at a school,” Klinker said, “and I work every day.” Substitute teachers have been so in demand that they have even been asked to fill in for other teachers during their planning period. “That only usually happens a lot in the summer, but this happens all the time now. There is definitely a shortage,” Klinker said.

In worst-case scenarios, other teachers at the school have been subbing for those who couldn’t make it during one of their planning periods or when they are in the Learning Center. Because students always need a teacher in class, the office has to scramble to find someone to make up for the absent teacher. “You got to do what you got to do to help out,” Ben Anderson, a long-time social studies teacher said. “Classes have to be covered, you know?” If a teacher is on their planning period when they get called in to sub for another teacher they get paid for the extra hours, but if they fill in when they would otherwise be in the learning center they are not additionally compensated. Fewer substitutes as a result of inadequate pay has only been amplified by COVID. Some believe that substitute teachers should even be getting paid more than teachers because they are often put into an environment where they aren’t always respected or have little knowledge on how to teach the class.

“You can’t just pay them a little bit, you have to make it reasonable for them to come in,” Anderson said. “Pay them accordingly to what they do. It’s tough to be a sub and be thrown into a situation like that.” Teachers can’t afford to miss days because it’s uncertain if their class will have someone watching over them. “You can’t take a day off to drink lemonade on a porch somewhere,” Anderson said.

If substitute teachers can’t be found, the office has to scramble to find someone so that no class is left unattended. Mia Vaughn, CHSToday