Nationwide substitute shortage forces UPA to turn inward ARTICLE BY DAHLIA PAUL • INFOGRAPHIC BY NADIA HINES • DESIGN BY VIDYA ACHAR
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SUBSTiTUTES iN THE UNiTED STATES
TEACHER SUBSTiTUTE COUNT FROM 2014 - 2020 700,000
NUMBER OF SUBSTiTUTES
he nationwide substitute shortage has forced UPA teachers to take on substituting. Executive Director David Porter said that in addition to a substitute shortage, there is also a teacher shortage. At UPA, the typical number of requested substitutes averages about two teachers a week. In the case of a special event, such as a conference, more teachers may require substitutes. “I think it’s a really unfortunate thing, and it puts some added stress for people that [are] worried that they can’t take the time off if they might need or want to because they don’t know if they’re going to create a hardship for somebody,” math teacher Liz Pettit said. “The school always covers for us. I know that the
650,000 622,600
626,750 609,960
587,240
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587,120
550,000
512,030
500,000 2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
YEARS
Compiled by Nadia Hines Source: United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
five teachers were out and other teachers had to cover for them. Ordaz speculated that the causes of the substitute shortage are health concerns, retire-
“I think that [the shortage] makes people think twice about taking time.” —LiZ pettit administration always finds a system which is so great. But I think that [the shortage] makes people think twice about taking time.” Human Resources Generalist Trisha Ordaz said that with the current shortage, the number of substitutes requested depends on the day and cited an example from Jan. 14, when
611,310
600,000
ments and a preference for athome teaching with tools such as Zoom. A possible solution could be better pay, Pettit said. Pettit cited professional development, family emergencies and health as common reasons for teachers to request a substitute. UPA uses the company Edu-
cation Team, which has a number of substitutes Ordaz can put in a request for. The company sends them out if there is availability, and the school pays Education Team who pays the substitute. “The teacher lets myself or Mr. Porter know they’re going to be out, and then we go to an outside service that employs all the substitute teachers because they have to be fingerprinted,” Ordaz said. “They have to go through a variety of background checks before we can have them on our campus.” However, with the shortage, the process is slightly different. When there are no substitutes, UPA turns to the internal staff. Ordaz sends a request out to ask teachers or staff with a free period if they can cover for the class, and if they can, they email her back with a confirmation.
The staff manage this process through a Google Doc. “I think that we’ve done a pretty decent job of helping each other out as teachers and staff covering classes that are needed,” Spanish teacher Aimee Verapinto said. “I enjoy [subbing] because I get to see students that maybe I had in years prior and don’t have anymore, so that’s fun.” Porter believes that a solution could lie in the workweek structure, as it is tightly packed with little flexibility for both students and teachers. “I believe that we need to have as many potential [rest] days as possible,” Porter said. “And I don’t know what the solution is, but there should be an easier way for teachers to get the time that they need. Maybe we need to look at, a totally different structure for how school works.”