Schools Seek Substitutes
Most local school districts have been finding substitute teachers in short supply, administrators said this week, with geography and overlapping needs among the districts seen as principal factors.
Indeed, Julie Lutz, the chief operating officer of the Eastern Suffolk Board of Cooperative Educational Services, said not only were many East End schools experiencing a shortage but that BOCES and the rest of Long Island were as well. She said the shortage of substitutes came to light earlier this year during meetings with superintendents.
In the Montauk School District, Jack Perna, the superintendent, said finding substitutes had been so tricky that there have been a few times this year when the district was unable to find someone to fill in for a classroom teacher.
There are 10 teachers on the Montauk School Board’s approved list, but Mr. Perna said he had covered classes in some instances when he was not able to bring one in. And several of those teachers are also approved as substitutes for other districts.
“It is difficult mainly because of geography. Other schools are usually easier to get to for many of our subs,” Mr. Perna said in an email.
East Hampton has 50 teachers on its approved list of substitutes, but the superintendent, Rich Burns, said the district could only rely on about half to be available when needed. “It’s on the lean side for sure. I’d definitely like it more robust,” he said.
Mr. Burns said that in addition to times when staff members were sick, substitutes are needed when the district conducts professional development programs. With three school buildings, it’s feasible that the district could see the need for 25 substitutes on a single day, he said. But if someone cannot be found, administrators have to tap existing teachers during times when they would otherwise not be in classrooms. When that occurs, however, it costs the district $73.50 per hour. By comparison, substitutes in East Hampton are paid $125 to $150 for a full day, depending on their certifications.
“We try outreach. We really spread the word. More teachers is the solution, but I’m not sure that’s realistic,” Mr. Burns said.
The Sagaponack School District recently posted a request for certified substitutes on its website. Alan Van Cott, the superintendent, said the district is seeking to increase its roster of two certified substitutes to four.
Wainscott’s superintendent, Stuart Rachlin, recently shared his district’s substitute list with Sagaponack, which Mr. Van Cott said was very helpful. Having to share substitutes illustrates an overlap.
Amagansett School’s superintendent, Eleanor Tritt, and the Springs School principal, Eric Casale, both said by email that their districts are continually seeking more substitute teachers. Ms. Tritt said last-minute needs are particularly hard to fill.
Mr. Casale said Springs had been fortunate so far to be able to find coverage for teachers who are absent, but that a lack of substitutes has occasionally caused the district to reschedule “non-instructional events,” such as meetings and professional development.
Bridgehampton’s superintendent, Lois Favre, said by email her school district had been in need of more substitutes until very recently. “If you want to assure coverage it is important” to continually recruit them, Ms. Favre said. “Teacher subs sometimes secure positions, so updating the list in an ongoing way is important.”
Sag Harbor is not short on substitute teachers, however. Katy Graves, the superintendent, said her district has continually recruited subs and that many are retired teachers. She suggested that a reason other than geography and overlapping might be to blame.
“We’re holding our own in our district, but I think some of this may be driven by the Affordable Care Act,” Ms. Graves said.
“Folks may have been able to know they would be with a district five days a week as a ‘super-sub,’ but school districts are having to keep them at less than 30 hours a week, so people are going and finding other jobs. That has had an impact.” Districts do not have to provide health insurance for teachers who work fewer than 30 hours.
Wainscott is not seeking more substitute teachers either, but that’s mainly because its two full-time teachers are rarely absent, according to Mr. Rachlin.
“Based on the number of people who applied for the one job here this summer, there are people all over Long Island willing to sub,” he said. He was referring to Wainscott’s having received more than 1,200 résumés when seeking a new teacher. He agreed, however, that “geographically, it’s difficult to get people here if they’re not already in the area.”