Supply and Demand
Or, Why There's a Teacher Shortage and a Substitute Teacher Shortage
Peter Greene has a great recent piece about the substitute teacher shortage that is running parallel to the shortage of full-time teachers.
The Teacher Shortage Crisis is Here | by Andy Spears | Age of Awareness | Oct, 2021 | Medium
Here are some questions Greene asks as districts seek to tackle the challenge of the sub shortage. The basic premise: Pay more and make the job actually attractive.
Are you raising sub pay? Sub pay is notoriously lousy, particularly if you're hiring them via some substitute or temp service. I started out substitute teaching in 1980; sub pay in local districts has risen about $25 since then.
Are you making sure your schools are safe? Let's say you're someone who subs in addition to another job to make ends meet (my wife started out substitute teaching and waitressing). You do a day of subbing, then find that one of the 150 students you were around has tested positive for covid--now, depending on your locale and integrity, you lose two weeks of work at both jobs, a pay cut you can't really afford. Too many districts have taken the position that they can just half-ass safety precautions (unenforced masking, no ventilation improvements, crowded classes, etc) and teachers will come to work anyway. But subs, because they don't (aka can't) count on the work to make a living, are volunteers, and if it doesn't seem safe to be in your building, they can choose to not.
Have you invited the big wigs? Friend of the Institute Steven Singer has proposed that all those lawmakers so Deeply Concerned about What Is Being Taught In The Classroom can get a first-hand look even as they help solve the subbing problem. I fully endorse this idea.
Have you gotten out there yourself? At this stage of the game, I am kind of amazed to hear from districts where administrators still haven't stepped up to take over classrooms. This is not a small thing. When a classroom stands open because there's no sub, administrators are making a statement, a choice. Sure, they have work to do, but when they cover a missing sub by dragging teachers away from clerical work periods or other assignments, or just cancel the subless class, they are telling the staff "What I do in my office is actually more important than what you teachers do in your classrooms. Administrators who do sub duty are making an important statement, as well as showing that they're willing to get in there shoulder to shoulder with their staff.
So, what is your district doing to actually address the sub shortage?
Tennessee Education News
A Bus Driver Shortage in Nashville:
A bus driver shortage in Nashville has reached a crisis, and bus drivers are speaking out. NewsChannel 5 has the story of a severe shortage and potentially unsafe conditions for students.
Battle said they are 200 or more drivers short, and many are doubling and tripling routes, forcing kids to sit three to a seat.
She also cited safety concerns with buses being overcrowding.
National Attention for Tennessee’s Moms for Liberty
Gov. Bill Lee’s Latest Privatization Scheme:
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee is an unapologetic champion of school privatization. While the Tennessee Supreme Court has delayed implementation of the voucher scheme Lee succeeded in passing in 2019, Lee has put on a full court press of other measures in order to bring privatization to the Volunteer State.
The latest effort comes by way of Lee attempting to “reform” the state’s school funding formula, known as the BEP. The move includes 18 subcommittees designed to make recommendations for revising the formula — even though Lee has indicated he has no plans to actually increase funding for schools.
School Privatization PAC in Full Force in Tennessee | by Andy Spears | Oct, 2021 | Medium