Substitute Teacher Shortage Adds a Burden To Schools Across the Nation
Aaron Raya, classified substitute at Santa Ana Unified School District, takes attendance for AP English Literature teacher, Monique Statler’s class, on Friday October 29, 2021, at Godinez Fundamental High School during third period.
November 8, 2021
Friday mornings in the front office of Godinez Fundamental High School (GFHS) are chaotic.
A typical morning for office manager Olivia Arredondo at GFHS is finding sub coverage for two to three teachers who are out on sick or personal leave. But on Monday and Friday mornings, there can be as many as 10-12 teachers out. Arredondo puts a note beside the sign-in sheet and asks teachers to volunteer while calling district classified substitutes to see if they are available.
As schools across the nation continue in-person instruction, so does the search for substitute teachers.
Not only is the nation struggling with the lack of substitutes in schools, but they are also low on bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teachers in the classroom.
According to Arredondo, the biggest challenge is getting teachers to cover other classes because not only are you taking away their preparation period, but many teachers are burnt out.
“This year, we are stressing teachers out by (using them) to cover classes too much. Then they decide to be out as well,” said Arredondo.
“Every school is struggling to get long (and short) term subs, including GFHS, but we aren’t as bad as other schools. However, it is difficult here,” said principal Jesse Church.
Church sees a sub shortage because many people have been at home for the past 18 months, some teachers retired early, and there are teachers out on family leave.
The Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), is in the process of hiring more substitute teachers and promote job openings on EdJoin. EdJoin is a platform where people find careers in education.
According to the EdJoin website, there are currently over 1,300 job openings in Orange County.
Executive Director of Human Resources in SAUSD, Dr. Davin Lawson, said that there is a substitute shortage in the district because a lot of people within the city of Santa Ana who would have applied for classified positions have varying issues such as: they are not incentivized to work because of state and federal money as part of the COVID-19 relief fund or they already have another job that doesn’t give them the flexibility to work a second job.
On a certificated level, there are fewer college students receiving their teaching credentials and more people retiring.
“We have that challenge before us. We are losing people because they are retiring and we are not gaining as many people back in,” said Lawson.
According to Lawson, teachers who retired in June of 2021 are not allowed to come back to sub until six months have passed. Lawson said that many of them would have come back, but are prevented until January 2022.
Another reason there is a sub shortage is because many are concerned about their safety and COVID-19 protocols. Many subs that are in the district system are not working because of that.
“Thank you to all the teachers who have been so great by covering and being flexible.””
— Olivia Arredondo
Others choose to work, but at specific school sites or specific grade levels.
SAUSD also competes with other districts nearby that pay more for substitute teachers.
Lawson said that the biggest challenge that comes with sub shortage is “we don’t know how many people are going to be out on a given day.”
Currently, there are 400-500 subs in the district.
“I would love to have 700 subs that are actively working and understand what it takes to be in an educational setting,” said Lawson.
He added that absences of teachers have increased due to COVID-19.
“Teachers are humans too. Everybody wants kids to go to school and they want their teachers to be there, but the reality is the coronavirus is affecting them just like it is affecting frontline workers, restaurant workers, and store clerks. When people get sick or families get sick, they can’t be at work. That puts a big strain on the system,” said Lawson.
English department chairperson at GFHS, Suzanne Pruden, has had to cover 30 classes so far this year. In a normal year, she has to cover less than 10.
She said that she regularly steps up to substitute because she knows how hard it is for a teacher who has five class periods to sub.
Teachers cover classes to help other teachers and to try to provide some consistency for students, but the current situation is unsustainable,” added Pruden.
Monique Statler is another teacher that is asked to sub at least once a week. Since her first period prep is the same as 12 other teachers, the responsibility of covering for teachers out of the classroom is shared.
However, earlier in the year, Statler was asked to sub for English teacher Mary Dreyer’s first period class. Dreyer left in late October to teach at Santa Ana Virtual Academy (SAVA). Statler covered Dreyer’s first period for over two weeks.
Sophomore Anayeli Lopez was one of Dreyer’s students.
“I am grateful that we had a teacher that was willing to sub for us and still is after her two weeks were over instead of having more subs come in often,” said Lopez.
As hard as it is with all the COVID-19 protocols to keep students at school, teachers experience the same struggle.
Everyday, teachers are required to check in on a mobile app, Flairz, which takes their information and asks a series of questions to determine if they have been exposed to the coronavirus.
Statler developed a cough earlier in the year and that is one of the symptoms that is a red flag. Although she knew they were allergies, she thought it was the responsible thing for her to admit her cough.
She was pulled out of school for a week.
“It made me super nervous about how to help my students get the instruction that they need so that they did not fall behind,” said Statler.
And being away from school put Statler behind. But, she is “very grateful for [her] colleagues who stepped in when [she] needs period by period subs because it helps [her] to feel supportive in the environment.”
However, she admits that it gets tiring when she is asked all the time to sub for other classes during her first period prep.
Statler believes that there is a sub shortage because substitutes are grossly underpaid.
The current sub pay for SAUSD is $160 per day and for long term (exceeds 10 days) $172.
In other districts like Garden Grove, the daily sub pay is $200. In Tustin Unified, the pay is $141.
“It (sub shortage) can be solved by making subbing in our district more desirable,” added Statler.
In order to manage, Church has had to meet with individual teachers to help cover classes and has used counselors, administrators, including himself, to cover classes when needed.
Church’s biggest concern is that lost instruction has to be made up. For freshman and sophomores, it is their first time they are on campus.
“I have to push them. Now, they have to catch up and keep up, ” said Church.
Church explained that he is not desperate because he needs the right subs for students and our school.
“I don’t have a problem struggling until I find the right teachers that understand the culture of this campus and want to be a team player and be willing to THINK Godinez,” said Church.
Senior Alexis Gutierrez said that she only has had three different subs this year, one a Godinez teacher and the other two from the district.
Her preference, however, is the Godinez teachers since “they are more interactive with students and we, as students, are more comfortable with having teachers we know.”
She added that it has not affected her learning.
“I was not aware of the sub shortage but now I am more thankful for our Godinez teachers that are willing to help out,” added Gutierrez.
As the search for substitutes continues nationally, the hope is that jobs get picked up sooner than later.
“We are all in this together,” concluded Church.
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Felix Rojas • Jan 12, 2022 at 7:41 pm
All in all, I learned substitute teachers are harder to come across. Covid-19 has been a tough obstacle not only for schools, but for restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, grocery stores, etc… It is very INTIMIDATING for most, but Mr.Church seems to be handling the situation to the best of his ability. ´“I don’t have a problem struggling until I find the right teachers that understand the culture of this campus and want to be a team player and be willing to THINK Godinez,” said Church.¨ I hope we can get this resolved quickly, and our teachers are able to return, because learning with a substitute isn’t the easiest.
Eduardo Viera • Jan 7, 2022 at 12:50 pm
The article covers concerns pretty well with this ongoing sordid situation of the substitute shortage. Another thing I can add to this is that some states are trying to make substitute requirements lower. For example in Ohio, they made becoming a substitute easy by no longer requiring a degree. Some states are making bus drivers and school cooks substitute their classes. This could complicate matters because it may delay assignments from the course, therefore, making students fall behind and possibly not being able to cover everything. It’s great that you covered the pay rates of being a substitute in other districts and how it can be playing a role in this crisis.
Adrian Gonzalez • Jan 6, 2022 at 11:30 pm
As a student of Godinez Fundamental, I notice the STIPULATE of substitutes needed. As Jesse Church states “Every school is struggling to get long (and short) term subs, including GFHS, but we aren’t as bad as other schools. However, it is difficult here,” two of my teachers are absent, but they are replaced by different Godinez teachers. Even though GFHS doesn’t have it as bad as other schools, I can only imagine what other schools go through. Before COVID-19 I also noticed whenever a teacher was absent they would just send a sub, now its much more difficult as in the article it states “Another reason there is a sub shortage is because many are concerned about their safety and COVID-19 protocols. Many subs that are in the district system are not working because of that”. Overall I’m much more grateful for the teachers that sub in to teach us, as it’s difficult to sub on short notices.
Aldahir • Jan 6, 2022 at 8:32 pm
California Schools have reopened not long ago, however as the weeks passed, some teachers may have either retired or got infect from the coronavirus, also know as COVID-19. Another reason is due to state and federal money being part of the COVID-19 relief fund or some people that have another job meaning they can´t go and apply for a second job. Furthermore, Lawson said, ¨Teachers are humans too. Everybody wants kids to go to school and they want their teachers to be there, but the reality is the coronavirus is affecting them just like it is affecting frontline workers, restaurant workers, and store clerks. When people get sick or families get sick, they can’t be at work. That puts a big strain on the system,¨ said Lawson. Based on what Lawson said, many workers including teachers, are having a hard time during the pandemic. So in the end, we need to stay aware or VIGILANT of our surroundings.
Areli • Jan 6, 2022 at 8:31 am
In my opinion I feel bad for the school because they don’t have enough subs. I also feel bad because the teachers are the ones that end up affected by this and they waste there free time to sub for a teacher. I cant imagine how busy the office is on Friday mornings because it says in the article “Friday morning in the front office of Godinez Fundamental High School are chaotic.” Olivia Arredondo is a very good office manager because she knows how to do her job well and shes a big part of the school. It bad enough that we lack subs but now we also lack from many of staff in the school.
Alex • Jan 6, 2022 at 8:21 am
Its extremely interesting to the see the effect the shortage of substitutes has caused in the education system, as well as affecting college students who weren’t able to do student-teaching hours, leading to there being less qualified teachers to sub in for. My CONDOLENCES to the teachers who are unable to sub in due to family leave, or COVD-19 and the students who aren’t able to properly learn without a teacher. A key point of interest is using the interview of Monique Statler, and elaborating on her perspective as a teacher. “…she admits that it gets tiring when she is asked all the time to sub for other classes during her first period prep.” The perspective of Anayeli Lopez, one of Dreyer’s students, was greatly appreciated as well, as many students can become uneasy due to seeing their teachers absent due to COVID-19. “I am grateful that we had a teacher that was willing to sub for us and still is after her two weeks were over instead of having more subs come in often,”
ronan • Jan 5, 2022 at 8:29 pm
Many teachers are looking to be REPLETE the hole that is left when they’re gone. Unfortunately Schools are struggling to find or get substitutes just as this quote says “Every school is struggling to get long (and short) term subs, including GFHS, but we aren’t as bad as other schools. However, it is difficult here,” said principal Jesse Church.
thank god that some of them are flexible just as this quote says “Thank you to all the teachers who have been so great by covering and being flexible.”
Brandon Peña • Jan 5, 2022 at 8:28 pm
The current state of subs in the Santa Ana district is one of the major if not the worst side effect of rising covid cases. Substitute teachers are a crucial part of any district and without them a school cannot function accordingly to fit its students needs. The sub shortage can be felt by almost everyone on campus and as said in the article makes “mornings in the front office of Godinez Fundamental High School (GFHS) chaotic.” This harm is only COMPOUNDED by the affect it has on other teachers in the school by making some teachers fill in and use up their prep or break period creating further burn out in hard working teachers. I hope more substitutes are found and lessen the burden on the already heavy load of teachers at godinez.
yarelie • Jan 5, 2022 at 7:21 pm
This is obviously a very SORDID case that i hope can be solved soon enough. The {sub shortage} we are currently experiencing is stressful and more now with covid. It might take a while to have sufficient subsitutes with the many complications coming up. Teachers that offer their prep period to cover for other teachers are very thoughtful. Students should also be patient and considerate towards the struggle their teachers are having trying to find subs and also with the subs who are new and trying to figure out how to manage the class.
Mauricio • Jan 4, 2022 at 10:42 pm
Teachers all around the world are exhausted from giving up their preparation period to sub because it is a lot of work for them to handle their 5 classes and still have to manage other teachers’ classes. It has been said that the ¨substitute wage¨ for a day of work is $160 per day but this sometimes doesn’t add up to the teachers and make their time as ¨substitute desirable¨ and now that the minimum wage is $15 at any job maybe they may reconsider getting a job that gets them more pay. When teachers assist for being a substitute they are forced to accept because they may feel pressured to lose their job or because they weren’t given the chance to think about it a day before because they weren’t given NUANCES to plan out their schedule accordingly. In these hard times, people don’t want to work at many stores and restaurants. There is a hiring sign at most shops, restaurants, and stores. This is due to people not wanting to work either because they’re scared of Covid or just because they don’t feel like working.
Fernanda • Jan 4, 2022 at 8:12 pm
In many school districts there are many teachers not going to school due to many problems like Covid, family situations and etc. There is also a lack of subs that make it worse. Every school is struggling to get “long” and “short” term subs at Godinez. This is a problem to everyone because without teachers, the students dont learn and when there usually is subs, they dont get to teach the lesson that was planned for that day. I hope the district moves with ALACRITY to fix this problem.
Jordan Palma • Jan 4, 2022 at 3:00 pm
I had no idea that substitute teachers were that “underpaid”. It is extremely low pay for substitutes in SAUSD. Most substitutes will see working at SAUSD as not worth their time. The small amount of pay BELITTLE the work of substitutes. This article shows that the “sub shortage” is because most subs are not willing to work for such a small paycheck.
Mauricio • Jan 4, 2022 at 11:33 am
Teachers all around the world are exhausted from giving up their preparation period to sub because it is a lot of work for them to handle their 5 classes and still have to manage other teachers’ classes. It has been said that the substitute wage for a day of work is $160 per day but this sometimes doesn’t add up to the teachers and make their time as substitute desirable and now that the minimum wage is $15 at any job maybe they may reconsider getting a job that gets them more pay. When teachers assist for being a substitute they are forced to accept because they may feel pressured to lose their job or because they weren’t given the chance to think about it a day before because they weren’t given NUANCES to plan out their schedule accordingly. I agree that right now in these hard times people don’t want to work at many stores and restaurants. There is a hiring sign and this is due to people not wanting to work either because they’re scared of Covid or just because they don’t feel like working.
Brad NUnez • Jan 3, 2022 at 11:54 pm
I agree with this article,with the pandemic many schools have been ¨struggling¨ with not having substitutes covering classes.I personally DISDAIN this whole situation because this makes it really challenging for me and the rest of the students in class.I also feel that it has been really harsh for the ¨shortages¨ of teachers making the subs that are covering classes really harsh on them.With this I also believe this whole conflict can be resolved because like church said ¨We are all in this together¨ and that is how were are going to fix this problem by working together.
Lia • Jan 3, 2022 at 9:32 pm
Reading this article I think they did really well addressing the main idea. In the article it states “As schools across the nation continue in-person instruction, so does the search for substitute teachers. Not only is the nation struggling with the lack of substitutes in schools, but they are also low on bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and teachers in the classroom.” I believe the schools should PROMULGATE the opportunities for new substitute hires. Such as sending out emails or to spread the work on social media. I feel as if the substitutes do not want to risk going to in person substituting because they think the schools don’t SCOFF the idea that corona virus is still out there and not take the right precautions. Another reason is because I think they should pay them more. “The current sub pay for SAUSD is $160 per day and for long term (exceeds 10 days) $172. In other districts like Garden Grove, the daily sub pay is $200. In Tustin Unified, the pay is $141.” I think this is what is causing them people now not want to be substitutes.
Griselda Angeles • Jan 3, 2022 at 8:29 pm
I like this article because it gives me an idea as to why I some of my teachers subbing for my other classes. I also like that we get to know what teachers think about subbing ans losing their passing period to work on grades making assignments. In this articles states ” But, she is “very grateful for [her] colleagues who stepped in when [she] needs period by period subs because it helps [her] to feel supportive in the environment.” that they are aware of the help they are getting but know that teachers are losing time to prepare for their next class but they are grateful for the help. Also in this article it states that “Her preference, however, is the Godinez teachers since “they are more interactive with students and we, as students, are more comfortable with having teachers we know.” They prefer teachers from Godinez because students feel better with a teacher from Godinez because they know them. It is HAPLESS because they don’t have enough teachers to help with other classes.
Adriana Martinez • Jan 3, 2022 at 8:10 pm
As I was reading this article I started to realize that I was not aware of this happening and I have to say that it left me completely shook. I think that the teachers that volunteer their free period to sub in for a class are big role models towards us students. Even though teachers can be stressed or frustrated I find it amazing how they still mange to step in just like Suzanne Pruden and she “has had to cover 30 classes…”. If subs are being underpaid then how will they be “making subbing in our district more desirable,”. It is very much noticeable how steeped these teachers are in their work and it is very appreciated.
Aldahir • Jan 3, 2022 at 6:58 pm
Some teachers decided to retired due to COVID-19. The rest decided not to and we´re grateful for having them today here at the school, it really means a lot to us. That´s why, we need to keep being VIGILANT of the virus. Despite having to wear a mask the whole school day, we´re at least helping each other not getting the virus.
Bianka • Jan 3, 2022 at 6:40 pm
The shortage of substitute teachers clearly proves to be a serious issue for schools across the nation. Teachers stepping up to cover cases with no instructor is a very kind act that demonstrates the care staff has for this school. While this dilemma is serious I do agree with Principal Church when he says ‘“I don’t have a problem struggling until I find the right teachers that understand the culture of this campus..”‘ because the instructor who is given this position plays a big part in a student’s day. Statler’s comment about the salary of substitute teachers being “grossly underpaid truly upsets me because I feel that plays a big role as to the issue we are now facing. While the CESSATION of this issue won’t be reached any time soon, I am glad to see how our GFHS staff is helping each other out in this difficult time.
America • Jan 3, 2022 at 6:03 pm
Wendy, I am beyond the top THRILLED on how you wrote about this school’s education and teaching concerns for students that attend here. It surely is a struggle for staff having to go in and out of classes because of “teachers who are out on sick or personal leave.” Which happen daily but contain solutions since you started on how teachers have a sign-in sheet , “and asks teachers to volunteer while calling district classified substitutes to see if they are available.” I really appreciate the amount of work you did to explain the district’s situations for shortages across our schools. I can’t really imagine how it would’ve been without all those teachers volunteering to sub in to make sure we get the education needed.
Nichole Salazar • Dec 6, 2021 at 2:41 pm
Well done, Wendy! You highlighted many educator’s concerns in this article. May I add that last year, during online instruction, many college students were unable to find sites to complete their student-teaching hours, and that decline of student-teachers exacerbates the small number of qualified people able to work as teachers or substitute teachers.