BOISE, Idaho — Substitute teachers play a key role in school districts across Idaho. Going into the next school year, districts will need to work out how to get enough subs throughout the year just like any other. Although this year they will have to deal with an ongoing health pandemic.
COVID-19 will not make getting substitute teachers any easier. Both Emmett and Nampa school district are prepping for the likelihood of having a hard time finding a substitute to fill a hole.
“It's going to be difficult for every district to find a sub to step into a building that has COVID in it,” Emmet School DistrictSuperintendent Craig Woods said. “If there's a confirmed case of it. It’s something we've talked a lot about like what is it going to look like.”
While finding a sub could be difficult this upcoming school year, the district will do what it takes to fill that spot.
This is especially true if one of their teachers ends up having to take time off due to possible exposure to COVID-19, or if the teacher tests positive. This could force some teachers to miss two weeks or more.
“When we have any long-term sub-issues, we try and always have that same [sub]. It's the consistency for the students,” Woods said.
However, there could be a problem with that plan. Some of the subs are retired teachers, and they may be older and more vulnerable to COVID-19.
“You want that consistency for the students, but a lot of those subs we use for the long term are retired teachers,” Woods said. “If you think of a retired teacher and being in that higher class or that range that probably won't want to be in the classroom because they're in that high-risk range so that's a topic we've had on what are we going to do in those situations.”
It’s also not uncommon for districts to not be able to find a sub, due to a last-minute change.
“This is something that does happen throughout the year, it’s just probably likely to happen a little more this year,” Nampa School District Communications Director Kathleen Tuck said.
In this instance, she said someone on staff, whether it be another teacher or an administrator, would have to step in and teach the class.
“Sometimes we have teachers who are co-teachers in that classroom and one of them can help out, sometimes it might be a matter of combining some class to get those covered,” she said.
Nampa isn’t alone in this situation. The Emmett School District has also faced this.
“That's not uncommon for that to happen whether it be in Emmett, there were times when I stepped into the classroom as an administrator and some of our admin have done that as well where they take over a class,” Woods said.
All of this could be compounded by a substitute shortage for Nampa. The district likes to have around 300 substitutes. Right now, they're planning on having around 230 for 1,200 teachers.
Emmett’s situation is looking better. The district has around 300 total employees, including teachers and other staff. They have around 70 subs for them on any given day. Woods said this isn’t a shortage.
Regardless, when it comes to finding a substitute teacher for the upcoming school year, both districts said it will be a case by case basis.
Requirements for substitutes can also change from district to district. According to the National Education Association, most school districts in Idaho don’t require certification as a requirement for a substitute. The minimum credential is a high school diploma.
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