The Persistent Scarcity of Substitutes Within Our Area

As Covid-19 takes its toll on school staff and facilities, teachers are in desperate need of substitutes. the problem is the recently high number of Covid cases are preventing schools from hiring stand-ins.

It is no surprise that the recent spike in Corona Virus cases are continuing to affect the Country, especially in schooling environments. Teachers are experiencing the virus which is resulting in quarantines and absences. When a teacher is absent, schools hire a stand-in substitute to follow out the lessons of the teacher. So what happens when there aren’t any substitutes to take their place?

At Fair Grove, Lynetta Leeper, the administrative assistant to the superintendent, handles hiring and doing the background checks for the substitute teachers. Leeper explained, “Recruiting a substitute requires meetings and paperwork with the sub. The sub will also have to have background checks, updated certificates, fingerprinted handouts, and oftentimes they will watch videos on the school handbook.” 

Principal at Fair Grove, Chris Stallings, stated, “Substitutes are vital to the success of a school. We cannot function without them. Within a school year we are always reliant on subs to fill the gaps from teachers being out for sickness, personal days, and professional development. We are fortunate to have a great pool of individuals who have chosen to work with us.” 

Currently at Fair Grove, the school is fortunate enough not to have a huge shortage of substitute teachers. Stallings shared, “There have been some mornings where we have maximized our substitute list but we were able to make it work. We have a large list of individuals that have served with us for a long period of time but we have also had several parents and other community members step up to work as a substitute.” Leeper stated, “My biggest hurdle would be that several  teachers can’t sub on a certain day because of commitments to other schools or personal activities. This causes me to have a limited number on any given day.”

Other schools in and surrounding the Springfield area are unfortunately going virtual for weeks on end due to low numbers of teachers and students.

Stallings expressed, “The best way Fair Grove can hire and retain subs is to continue focusing on what we have always held true here. We want to treat our subs like they are part of our staff family and we want to make sure they are working in an environment where they are treated with the utmost respect by our students.”