Shane Lorenzen finally caught COVID days before Christmas in 2022. 

A substitute teacher in New York City, he knew the  to public employees 鈥� a key protection for essential workers put in place early in the pandemic. But when he asked his school payroll secretary about it, she informed him that as a sub, he didn鈥檛 qualify.

Like thousands of substitutes, Lorenzen helped prop up the city鈥檚 education system throughout the pandemic. He signed up in March 2020 to staff one of the education centers for the children of healthcare professionals, transit workers, and other frontline employees when regular schools were closed to other kids. During the omicron wave in January 2022, he was in the classroom as thousands of teachers went on sick leave. 

When Lorenzen tested positive himself, the denial of paid leave felt like a slap in the face. He tried to insist 鈥� and was asked not to come back to his school.

Substitutes have been entitled to paid COVID leave since the state mandated the benefit in 2020, the New York state Department of Labor confirmed. But many subs assumed they didn鈥檛 qualify and never requested the benefit. And in New York City, many were denied even if they did ask.

The city Department of Education instructed schools to exclude nearly all substitute teachers and substitute paraprofessionals from the benefit, according to internal emails New York Focus obtained through a Freedom of Information Law (foil) request. 

鈥淕enerally speaking substitutes 鈥� would not be eligible to receive the excused leave at full pay for up to two weeks if they needed to quarantine,鈥� the doe advised schools in an email. 鈥淭hey would not be paid for any time not worked.鈥�

鈥淚 got COVID recently, and last year,鈥� said one former substitute teacher in Bushwick, Brooklyn, who requested anonymity out of fear of employer retaliation. 鈥淸COVID leave] wasn鈥檛 a conversation that was had between me and the school.鈥�

An education department spokesperson confirmed that during the pandemic, staff received guidance indicating that per diem workers 鈥� the teachers and paraprofessionals employed on a day-to-day basis who make up the majority of the substitute workforce 鈥� do not qualify for sick leave or other benefits normally provided to full-time staff. The spokesperson later contradicted this guidance, telling New York Focus in a phone call that subs could receive paid COVID leave if they provided a 鈥�,鈥� as required by the . 

Asked to elaborate, the department did not acknowledge the contradiction, only reiterating that per diems were not included in its guidance for schools.

The state Labor Department confirmed that per diem workers are included in the mandate.

鈥渘yc doe (including substitute teachers or sub paraprofessionals) qualify for paid COVID leave,鈥� the Labor Department press office wrote. The doe did not respond to the state agency鈥檚 apparently contradictory interpretation of the law.

Among subs, the lack of support has added to a sense that the school system sees them as disposable 鈥� even after they stepped up to help the city in a time of great need.

鈥淚 saw a couple of my coworkers get sick and get taken out in an ambulance, and I never saw them again,鈥� said Lorenzen, recalling the fear and uncertainty of the pandemic鈥檚 early days. 鈥淎nd they were subs. They were subs or paras.鈥�

While much attention has been paid to the sacrifices that full-time teachers made and the harms that students sustained during the pandemic, substitutes like Lorenzen played a critical role in holding the system together.

As sickness, refusal to abide by vaccine mandates, and burnout pushed thousands of teachers out of their posts, , with 2,000 fewer teachers in the system than five years earlier. Full-time teachers are still calling out sick at higher rates than before the pandemic, and the crisis may worsen as the United States experiences , with New York flagged as a hot zone by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In , the United Federation of Teachers recently asked the doe to make nominations for substitute teachers and sub paras more flexible, and to offer subs pay differentials in 鈥渉ard-to-staff鈥� schools.

But while full-time teachers are still being offered COVID leave, subs remain in the lurch.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no safety net for me,鈥� said the former Bushwick sub. 鈥淚t was disappointing because there was this whole chatter about 鈥榚ssential workers,鈥� but it just felt like I wasn鈥檛 getting taken care of as a worker in the city.鈥�

The doe did not respond to requests for the number of substitutes in the city system, nor how many of them got sick with COVID. But based on broader figures 鈥�  of Americans have contracted the virus at least once;  work in New York state; and  COVID cases have been confirmed among doe staff since September 2020 鈥� it鈥檚 likely that thousands of New York City substitutes have contracted the virus.

Although some subs work at their schools on longer-term appointments, many are still paid by the day 鈥� usually at a $200 rate. They typically don鈥檛 get employer-funded health insurance or paid sick days. But in March 2020 鈥� when Lorenzen became a sub 鈥� the state , which is still in effect, granting some private and all public sector workers between five and 14 days of paid sick leave for COVID isolation and precautionary quarantines.

During severe coronavirus surges, doe administrators tasked with answering COVID leave questions advised school staff that most substitutes did not qualify for paid COVID leave in at least 57 responses, according to emails New York Focus obtained via foil. (Initial senders鈥� names were redacted, but the number of threads suggests that dozens of schools inquired about the issue.)

Just four complaints were filed against the doe for failing to provide substitutes paid COVID leave, according to Labor Department officials, who declined to provide further details about the cases. doe officials said they received only one related complaint from the Labor Department, which was promptly addressed.

As teachers called out sick, schools grew increasingly  to place subs in classrooms, many in longer-term assignments. The doe resorted to offering 鈥渟pecial financial incentives鈥� to subs when COVID rates were highest 鈥� up to $100 extra per day, according to emails sent to substitutes and obtained by New York Focus.

According to Lorenzen, there were periods during bad COVID surges, like the omicron wave, when most of the teachers in his school were substitutes. Others described a similar reliance.

鈥淲e reopened the schools back up and kept them open,鈥� said Joe Diodato, a full-time teacher who subbed for a year and a half in the Bronx beginning in the winter of 2020. 鈥淚t only happened because of subs.鈥�

While subs often teach to supplement other jobs, some rely on substitute teaching as their primary source of income. From the three days Lorenzen was absent due to COVID isolation, he lost $615.75 from his paycheck. Other subs may have lost north of $2,800.

鈥淓arned sick days are particularly important for low-wage workers who, absent sick leave, lack the savings, access to credit or assets needed to buffer against lost earnings if they need to take time off,鈥� wrote Hilary Wething, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute who co-authored  on state paid sick leave policies, in an email to New York Focus.

Paid leave can also protect the health of other staff and students by keeping people home when they鈥檙e sick. One substitute at a school in Brooklyn, who requested anonymity, said that he felt forced to work while down with the flu in order to pay his bills. 

鈥淚 endured the whole week of just being sick,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 could not even speak, and I just did the job.鈥�

When his school’s payroll secretary told Jack Ganley he was ineligible for leave, a teachers union representative instructed him to file a complaint with the Labor Department. Ganley, a substitute paraprofessional at a Brooklyn elementary school, decided not to file a complaint 鈥� or even raise the issue with school administrators. 

鈥淚 can guarantee what the response would be, which would be we can鈥檛 help you,鈥� Ganley said.

Multiple workers described a culture of retaliation in New York City public schools, with little recourse available to subs who are fired for filing grievances or otherwise challenging school administrators. Many of the subs who spoke to New York Focus requested anonymity for that reason.

Lorenzen was the only substitute interviewed who made a persistent attempt to claim his benefits.

When Lorenzen got sick, he emailed Nelson Mandela School for Social Justice in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where he was substitute teaching full-time. Aware of the March 2020 law, Lorenzen made sure to mention COVID leave in his initial communication.

鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that at this point I am entitled to sick pay, as I cannot afford to take time off, but do not want to come in if I am still symptomatic,鈥� wrote Lorenzen in a December 20, 2022, email, reviewed by New York Focus, to Nelson Mandela鈥檚 payroll secretary and principal.

He tested positive the next day and stayed home for the last three days before winter break.

The payroll secretary wished him well, but ignored his inquiry regarding sick leave.

After winter recess ended, Lorenzen returned to the classroom and asked the school repeatedly whether he would receive pay for the missed days. The school eventually said he wouldn鈥檛, because he wasn鈥檛 a full-time employee, though documents he provided to New York Focus show he was indeed working as a full-time substitute.

But it shouldn鈥檛 have mattered, Lorenzen believed. He shared with the school  from the doe stating that part-time workers qualified for the leave, too. According to a United Federation of Teachers spokesperson, subs have previously won their paid sick days through the union grievance process by citing the memo.

In a conversation on January 9, 2023, a recording of which was shared with New York Focus, Nelson Mandela principal Matthew Anderson told Lorenzen that the problem was technical: Because of an issue with payroll codes, the school was operationally incapable of releasing the benefits. Anderson did not respond to multiple email requests for comment.

It seems the principal鈥檚 hands were tied. The Education Department did not appear to have distributed the appropriate codes for per diem employees, payroll memos obtained through a public records request confirmed. Only 鈥溾�� classified as 鈥減art-time鈥� 鈥� rather than 鈥減er diem鈥� 鈥� workers qualified for COVID leave, as officials told schools in dozens of emailed messages.

Lorenzen kept on insisting, sending email after email. Then, less than two weeks after returning from winter recess, an assistant principal informed him that it would be his last day at Nelson Mandela. Originally, Lorenzen said, his position was supposed to last until June.

Anderson, the principal, told Lorezen that he was being let go for budgetary reasons and that the school had teachers returning to fill his position, according to a recording of their meeting that day. A doespokesperson noted that terminations of subs鈥� positions are typical upon the return of a regular staff member or a shift in school needs, especially during the pandemic.

When Lorenzen suggested that the school was retaliating against him, Anderson chided him for being confrontational.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have anything to do with the money you鈥檙e missing,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ontinue with the process and you鈥檒l get your money. That鈥檚 an issue with the city and central services.鈥�

Lorenzen filed a complaint with the Labor Department shortly after he lost his position, but he has not heard back. 

Nearly a year later, he鈥檚 still waiting to receive his benefits.

This was originally published in .

When Debbie Fery started hearing this year from substitute teachers who had not been paid for time spent taking mandatory trainings, it felt personal.

Fery, treasurer and chair of government affairs for the Oregon Substitute Teachers Association, and a substitute teacher herself, took her own fight to get paid for a required safety training to the state鈥檚 Bureau of Labor and Industry back in 2020.

鈥淚t鈥檚 like no one respects us enough to pay for it,鈥� she said.

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All teachers are required to take certain training courses, some each year, and most full-time teachers take the classes during the week before school starts when they鈥檙e technically back on the clock. But substitute teachers often have to complete the training when they鈥檙e not on the clock.

Many of the courses that districts require substitute teachers to take 鈥� on things like cybersecurity, federal academic and health privacy laws and what to do in the event of a school shooting 鈥� take no more than a few hours online, and by law, districts must pay substitute teachers for their time. But Fery said many aren鈥檛 doing so and that state money set aside for this since 2022 has gone unused.

District officials told the Capital Chronicle that鈥檚 because they didn鈥檛 need the money.

Fery settled her claim of wage theft with the Willamette Education Service District, 16 of the 21 districts it encompasses and the substitute teacher staffing company Edustaff, all of which had told her they didn鈥檛 owe her money for the time she spent taking the online courses in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

Following the settlement, the labor bureau wrote a guidance letter to districts and posted it to its website, explaining that by law they needed to pay substitutes for mandatory training. Still, Fery said, district officials have told her and members of the substitute teachers association that they do not need to pay them.

Teacher associations like hers played a critical role in securing state funding in 2022 for districts so they could pay substitute teachers for more than 20 different training classes, many of which are mandatory depending on the district. Less than one-third of Oregon鈥檚 197 school districts and 19 education service districts have used the state money, leading Fery and legislators to wonder how widespread wage theft is for substitutes taking these trainings.

The Capital Chronicle emailed 17 districts that either requested money and did not use it, or did not request any money at all. The few administrators who responded said they tapped into other pots of money to pay substitutes to train, that they did not need the money or that a company that provides them with substitute teachers is responsible for paying them to take required courses.

New task force

State Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, convened in early November the first meeting of a new Joint Task force on Substitute Teachers, of which Fery is a member. It鈥檚 looking at a number of issues that鈥檚 led to a shortage of substitute teachers statewide and the growing reliance on two private companies 鈥� ESS and Edustaff 鈥� to provide substitutes to districts.

Dembrow said the task force will consider concerns about wage theft in the coming year. It is slated to provide recommendations to the state Legislature by December of 2025.

Dembrow said he still needs to learn more about why districts have not used the money the state set aside in 2022.

鈥淭o be fair to them, if there were problems with the process, we should know that,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut we need to get to a place where subs are getting paid for the training that they need.鈥�

Fery said she鈥檚 heard from more than 30 substitutes in at least 10 districts who have not been paid to take SafeSchools Training, a series of courses intended to show that all teachers are following state and federal safety mandates. She asked several if they would talk with a Capital Chronicle reporter but said they declined out of fear of retribution.

$16 million unspent

Due to a critical shortage of both substitute teachers and fully licensed classroom teachers, the Oregon Legislature in early 2022 passed on teacher licensing and other requirements. It included $100 million in incentives and bonuses to attract and retain teachers, classroom assistants and substitute teachers and $19 million for districts to reimburse classroom assistants and substitute teachers for mandatory training through January of 2024. But districts have spent just $3 million 鈥� 15% 鈥� of that money, according to data from the Oregon Department of Education. Districts had until the end of July to submit invoices for reimbursement. The remaining $16 million can no longer be spent and will be returned to the Legislature in January, according to the Oregon Department of Education.

Of Oregon鈥檚 197 school districts and 19 education service districts, 93 districts applied to the education department for money and just 53 actually used it.

Administrators in districts that applied but didn鈥檛 spend the money, or used far less money than they were allocated told the Capital Chronicle they didn鈥檛 need it or as much as they thought. They had substitutes take the training while they were on the clock, they said, or used money from the Student Success Act 鈥� meant to boost equity, mental health care and help recover learning time lost during COVID for the state鈥檚 highest needs students 鈥� to pay them.

Many districts that applied for funding did not submit invoices for reimbursement by July, according to the data from the education department. Some districts ultimately invoiced for just a fraction of the money the state was prepared to give them.

As one example, the West Linn-Wilsonville School District didn鈥檛 spend any of the $263,000 it applied for and the state allotted. The Multnomah Education Service District, serving about 100,000 students in eight school districts 鈥� including Portland Public, the state鈥檚 largest district 鈥� didn鈥檛 spend any of the more than $194,000 that officials applied for in 2022.

An unnamed media relations official wrote via email that most substitutes took mandatory trainings during work hours and that it used Student Success Act money to pay for any training outside of those hours.

Superintendent Mike Johnson of the Creswell School District near Eugene said the Lane Education Service District provides most of the substitute teachers at Creswell schools and pays for their training. He did apply for $56,250 to pay for SafeSchools Training for classroom teachers and classified staff from the state鈥檚 $19 million fund, but in the end, the district only owed $1,300 for training hours, he said. He expensed it to the school鈥檚 general fund instead.

In all, the state鈥檚 money paid for 11,000 substitutes and classroom assistants to take mandatory training. The average per hour of training across employees was $50.

Of the 11,000, 30% were contracted by a third party service. The two largest in Oregon are ESS and Edustaff. Those companies aren鈥檛 allowed to bill the state for training, but they can bill the district for the training hours, and the district can bill the state for reimbursement, according to Fery. She has worked under contract for Edustaff as a substitute and said it is not uniformly paying substitutes to take the training.

The Greater Albany School District was allocated $300,000 from the state, but it never invoiced for reimbursement. Michelle Steinhebel, communications director for the district, said it entered into a contract with Edustaff last year and that officials were under the impression that the company is ensuring the teachers take the SafeSchools courses and paying them for their time.

Attempts by the Capital Chronicle to reach representatives of Edustaff and ESS by phone and email went unanswered.

For Fery, withholding payment for mandatory training is a form of wage theft that is leading to a lack of dignity and respect that perpetuates the state鈥檚 teacher shortages.

Dembrow agrees that it is not helping.

鈥淎ll the steps that we can take to get this workforce the professional recognition that they deserve 鈥� that鈥檚 what we need to do,鈥� he said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on and .

COLUMBIA 鈥� As South Carolina schools continue to grapple with teacher shortages, one legislator is calling for fellow lawmakers to spend more time inside schools.

, said he will introduce a bill next month that would require legislators to substitute teach or volunteer at K-12 schools at least five times a year to see first-hand the problems plaguing teachers and students.

Chief among those is an ongoing shortage of teachers. South Carolina schools started the school year with nearly 1,400 teaching vacancies plus more than 200 jobs unfilled for librarians, counselors, psychologists and speech therapists. That鈥檚 a 9% increase from the year before and an all-time high, according to the supply-and-demand report released Monday by the state Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention & Advancement.

鈥淭hings are continuing to get worse,鈥� said Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association, a teachers鈥� advocacy group. 鈥淚 mean, 1,600 vacant positions is an absolutely staggering number.鈥�

Bringing 170 legislators into schools five times a year wouldn鈥檛 fill those vacancies. But it would at least show that lawmakers are paying attention, said Kelly, who also teaches U.S. history at Blythewood High School in Richland Two.

鈥淭his is not going to solve the teacher shortage. It won鈥檛 even solve the substitute teacher shortage in this state,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淏ut it certainly has symbolic value.鈥�

The point isn鈥檛 to solve anything, Johnson said.

And he recognizes his proposal stands little chance. He will push to at least get a hearing.

He wants to spark conversation about what really happens in schools.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen lawmakers come out and say they support teachers, and they want us to do what鈥檚 best for teachers. They want to invest in students. They care about students,鈥� said Johnson, who sits on the House Education Committee. 鈥淏ut none of them are actually in the school.鈥�

Johnson decided to lead by example. The father of three started substituting in August in Richland County School District One, which includes schools in downtown Columbia. He noticed things he wouldn鈥檛 have otherwise, he said, and he wants other lawmakers to have the same experience.

For example, Johnson said he realized teachers of children with disabilities have more responsibilities but receive the same pay as their colleagues who aren鈥檛 in special education classrooms.

In South Carolina, teachers are paid according to their years of experience in the classroom and their degree. The state sets the floor for every step. Most districts pay more by supplementing state aid with local property taxes. This year, the for first-year teachers with a bachelor鈥檚 degree is $42,500 鈥� a $10,500 increase since 2018.

Johnson proposes increasing the minimum starting salary for special education teachers to $52,000.

Putting lawmakers in schools to see the normal routines could go a long way in helping them understand the challenges teachers face, said Sherry East, president of the South Carolina Education Association.

鈥淭here is power in seeing what happens in a day-to-day school day,鈥� said East, who is also a Rock Hill science teacher.

As far as actually filling the growing number of vacancies, pay is a major issue, East and Kelly said.

The state Department of Education is asking for $136 million in next year鈥檚 budget to raise teacher salaries by $1,500, bringing the first-year minimum to $44,000, according to state budget documents.

Last year, legislators gave school districts enough money to though how much of a raise teachers saw depended on the district. Gov. Henry McMaster has called for all teachers to be making at least $50,000 by 2026.

On top of the $2,500 boost in the salary steps, the education department is requesting $15 million to give signing bonuses to teachers in elementary, middle and special education classrooms, as well as teachers working at high-poverty schools.

Plus, the department is looking for $5 million to try out a program that would pay teachers in struggling schools and hard-to-fill subjects more when their students do better. The money would hinge on data showing student progress while learning from that teacher. this year, but that request wasn鈥檛 funded.

The budget documents did not include specifics on how much more teachers could earn or how they鈥檇 qualify, and an agency spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

鈥淲hile no educator answers the calling to become an educator solely for financial gain, we must better align our compensation opportunities to attract, retain and recognize those who succeed in the hardest roles,鈥� the budget request reads.

But pay is only part of the problem, Kelly and East said.

Teachers told a state task force last year they had too many duties, not enough time to accomplish them, a lack of respect and students acting out.

While legislation can鈥檛 fix all those issues, there are steps lawmakers could take to help, Kelly and East said.

For example, Kelly pointed to the task force鈥檚 recommendation that the Legislature fund a career ladder that would allow teachers to advance in their careers without needing to become administrators. And East suggested establishing alternative schools to help support students in elementary grades who lash out at their teachers.

Still, getting legislators in schools is a good start, both teachers said.

鈥淎ny policy that increases the number of caring, dedicated adults in schools is a positive in my book,鈥� Kelly said.

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: info@scdailygazette.com. Follow SC Daily Gazette on and .

Gregory Hardin is always in demand.

He鈥檚 a full-time substitute teacher in a state with a shortage of adults to fill in for absent educators.

Hardin, of Shawnee, said he鈥檚 had no trouble finding openings four to five days a week since he started substitute teaching in November 2019. What initially was a way for Hardin, 25, to get classroom experience while studying education in college has become a full-time job.

鈥淚鈥檓 always getting a call,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would say there鈥檚 not really much of a difference that I would notice whether it would be this year or last year or two or three years ago when I first started subbing.鈥�

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While some schools have increased wages, 73% of districts in the state say they still anticipate a shortage of substitutes this school year, according to a survey by the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

COVID-19 heightened demand for substitutes to a critical level, but school leaders say there was a shortage even before the pandemic.

鈥淎s long as there鈥檚 a teacher shortage, there鈥檚 going to be a substitute shortage, as well,鈥� said Aaron Espolt, superintendent of Shawnee Public Schools.

Daily pay rates for substitutes have grown in Shawnee, Moore, Edmond, Putnam City, Norman and Oklahoma City schools since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020.

The largest Oklahoma City-area districts now offer between $85-$125 a day to substitutes with a teaching license and $70-$110 for those who are uncertified. School leaders say they choose a daily wage their district can afford that鈥檚 competitive with what their neighbors offer.

Hardin said daily rates should increase even more to $125-$175 to ensure a livable wage for eight hours of work. He said workers won鈥檛 consider substitute positions if other hourly jobs offer higher pay.

鈥淲hy would they take a break from those jobs to go sub if they鈥檙e not making the same amount of money as eight hours at Starbucks?,鈥� Hardin said. 鈥淭he cost-benefit analysis isn鈥檛 there.鈥�

But rather than paying more, some school districts face the possibility of cutting their substitute pay. Putnam City and Oklahoma City schools both increased their daily rates for substitutes with federal COVID-19 relief money 鈥� funding that will expire next year.

Currently, all of Oklahoma City Public Schools鈥� substitute pay comes from pandemic relief dollars. District administrators said they haven鈥檛 decided what rate their schools will pay next year.

Putnam City鈥檚 rates already fell. When COVID-19 cases were at their peak, the district offered $70 daily stipends from federal relief funds on top of the usual substitute wages.

Stipends are down to $45 this semester, and next semester鈥檚 rates are yet to be determined, district spokesperson AJ Graffeo said.

Other districts, like Shawnee and Moore Public Schools, said none of their pandemic stimulus funds were tied to substitute pay, so next year鈥檚 expiration date should have no bearing on how much they offer.

Moore raised its wages this year to $100 a day for certified substitutes and $85 for non-certified. Superintendent Robert Romines said that鈥檚 helped improve the rate of substitutes covering teacher absences.

鈥淲e have to have great people leading the charge when your certified staff or support staff are gone,鈥� Romines said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e instrumental in making sure the doors stay open and making sure we can function as a school district.鈥�

Schools had no shortage of substitute teachers 15 to 20 years ago, despite offering close to the minimum wage, said Shawn Hime, executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

Back then, Oklahoma wasn鈥檛 mired in a teacher shortage, either, he said, and there were more people working as substitutes to get their foot in the door of education 鈥� like Hardin.

Today, teachers have to merge an absent colleague鈥檚 classes into their own and give up their plan hours to cover other classrooms when substitutes aren鈥檛 available.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why it鈥檚 so important to have a caring adult who鈥檚 willing to go in and help the students learn each and every day,鈥� Hime said. 鈥淓very day you lose instruction is a significant amount of learning that you may never get back.”

is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com. Follow Oklahoma Voice on and .

The Nevada Legislature has passed a bill that provides long-term substitute teachers who work for 30 or more days .

The state Senate voted 16-4 Tuesday to approve the bill. It passed the Assembly in April by a vote of 31-11. Assembly Republicans Gregory Koenig, Heidi Kasama and Toby Yurek and Senate Republicans Pete Goicoechea, Scott Hammon, Ira Hansen, and Heidi Seevers Gansert voted for the bill.

Assembly Bill 282, if signed by the governor, would allow more than 1,000 educators to buy health care, according to the ACLU of Nevada.

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The state has an and substitute teachers have been used more frequently, at pay capped at $120 per day with no benefits. The $450 stipend is based on the average monthly cost of non-Medicare/Medicaid insurance plans in the state,

鈥淭he teacher pipeline shortage has only continued to grow, and substitute teachers have become a lifeline to many of our schools,鈥� said ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Athar Haseebullah in a press release.

The Nevada State Education Association

The Nevada Association of School Superintendents, Washoe County School District (WCSD) and Clark County School District (CCSD) opposed the bill.

鈥淚t is absolutely ridiculous that our state鈥檚 two largest school districts, CCSD and WCSD, actually opposed a health insurance subsidy for full-time substitute teachers and refuse to provide them with health insurance,鈥� said Haseebullah in a press release on Tuesday.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nevada Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Hugh Jackson for questions: info@nevadacurrent.com. Follow Nevada Current on and .

Lawmakers on the Michigan House Education Committee heard testimony from educators earlier this month regarding , which would modify the requirements to become a substitute teacher in hopes of addressing the ongoing shortage.

Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), who sponsored the bill, testified in its support alongside Sheryl Kennedy of the Michigan Department of Education.

The proposed changes to Michigan鈥檚 school code would allow for anyone over age 21 with a high school diploma to substitute teach in classrooms for grades 9 through 12, and allow anyone over the age of 18 also enrolled in a teacher preparation program to substitute teach in kindergarten through eighth grade.

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Shannon said that the changes to eligibility requirements, while 鈥渦ncomfortable鈥� for many educators, would be a temporary solution to Michigan鈥檚 shortage of substitute teachers that accelerated during the pandemic. The bill, which has yet to be voted on by the committee, would include a sunset clause expiring the eligibility changes in June 2025.

鈥淲e have a problem, and we鈥檙e doing things that maybe not necessarily all of us are comfortable with,鈥� Shannon said. 鈥淏ut we have to do something in the meantime.鈥�

Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte) voiced concerns that the bill would make it too easy to become an educator, even for a short period of time. She said that her own experience as a teacher showed her that students require highly qualified substitutes in order to continue their learning and to allow permanent teachers to take time off.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 put any substitute in an emotionally impaired classroom,鈥� Churches said. 鈥淎nd I could argue you can鈥檛 put any substitute in just a fifth-grade room like mine easily.鈥�

Kennedy and Shannon noted that the bill would not apply to special education teachers and classrooms.

Rep. Brad Paquette (R-Niles) argued that changing the requirements for substitute teachers could provide necessary work opportunities for young Michiganders. He said that he 鈥渇ell into teaching鈥� in his own career and hoped the bill would help others do the same.

鈥淭his is going to open the door for a lot of people,鈥� Paquette said.

Kennedy said one goal of the legislation would be to connect young people who are undecided about their career path to school districts and the communities they reside in, ideally encouraging them to pursue long-term careers as teachers.

鈥淥ne of the things that we hope this bill will do is build those relationships,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淎nd perhaps one of those young people that are substitute teaching, or a 21-year-old who鈥檚 maybe done a little college, they have an experience and then they say, 鈥極h wow, this is what I was meant to do.鈥欌��

Various incentives have been adopted at the state and school district level to attract teachers to Michigan鈥檚 public schools, but Shannon said the state won鈥檛 see the effects of those programs for a few years. In the interim, he said that HB 4549 would help ease the strain on school districts.

鈥淲e want to be able to solve the problem in a systematic way,鈥� Shannon said. 鈥淏ut we need to have a little time to figure this out.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Michigan Advance maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Susan Demas for questions: info@michiganadvance.com. Follow Michigan Advance on and .

Math workbooks at a Eugene, Oregon school arrived months into the semester, delayed by paper shortages. 

Some 15 classes at one suburban New York high school were canceled last semester for lack of substitutes. 

In a Maryland high school outside D.C., new pencils were nowhere to be found when classes started in the fall, the victim of supply chain lags and no staff to order them.

Nacho cheese, reliably cheap and available, has become a mainstay on one Indianapolis school鈥檚 lunch menu as spiraling costs and ingredient shortages have led to meals on repeat.    

This is the new normal in schools across the country: Classes are back in person but day-to-day operations are a far cry from pre-pandemic norms, the lingering effects of the COVID crisis challenging everything from staffing and student mental health to school lunches. 

Compiling dozens of examples from survey responses and original reporting, 社区黑料 found schools are trying to function and adapt. 

For administrators like Greg Zenion, principal at Chariho Middle School in Rhode Island, this year marks the first time he cannot fill core jobs: teacher assistants, special education teachers and social workers.

鈥淚鈥檓 in a pretty rural, beautiful area. I’m surrounded by soft fields. My building was built in 1989. It’s a great place to work. It’s a beautiful building,鈥� Zenion said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 get people to apply for the jobs. So I think a new normal is how do you run a building short-staffed and how do you get creative to fill your positions?鈥�

Yet educators say necessity can indeed be the mother of invention. 

鈥淒espite all of this adversity being talked about, our school people still got their chin straps buckled up. They’re still ready to go to work, and they’re still over there doing everything they can do for kids,鈥� said Ronn Nozoe, CEO of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. 鈥淭his year is different because folks have found all kinds of creative ways to provide.鈥� 

Some examples: 

To ease the burden of juggling a family with teaching full-time, an Indianapolis school opened free child care for staff on-site. At one Milwaukee school, $20 gift cards are given to teachers who substitute. 

Schools, public and private are all hands on deck 鈥� recruiting drivers and other staff at grocery stores, offering bonus pay. 

But no amount of personal dedication can alleviate systemic strains. Even armored with the optimism inherent to many school leaders, they are coming to terms with a new reality and what鈥檚 at stake. 

鈥淥ur members remain dedicated to kids and excited about [school],鈥� Nozoe said, 鈥渂ut they are, especially the ones who have been around a bit and can see the writing on the wall, worried about the shortages and what that may mean if we can’t augment the workforce quickly enough鈥︹��

As one teacher at a school in Delaware serving a high proportion of students in poverty explained, 鈥渢he students are so burnt out and so are we.鈥� 

To make up for learning loss, teachers at the Delaware school introduce new material on days when students also take mandatory tests. Their veteran teachers are retiring more often, leaving big gaps. One teacher now has regular panic attacks. 鈥淚f it wasn鈥檛 for my incredible coworkers and admin I wouldn鈥檛 be able to do it,鈥� the educator wrote. 

Several educators painted a picture of students changed by core social years spent in isolation in front of screens: less curiosity or interest; individual work preferred to working with peers; missed class and deadlines. Students arrive, and leave, exhausted, but are expected to catch up more than ever before. 

The concerning behavior has made school staff put students鈥� emotional well being first, with more of an emphasis on offering school-based mental health services. 

鈥淭he need was鈥ar more significant than any of us realized,鈥� said Monica Asher, a Columbus, Ohio high school principal. 鈥淒efinitely a new normal is鈥� more of an acceptance鈥o employ social workers, mental health professionals. Pre-pandemic, those were nice if you could get them but鈥ow 鈥hose are necessary.鈥�

Pieced together, the anecdotes offer a clearer image of the American school day as the pandemic continues to have a hold on students, families and educators: 

Morning: For Many, a Transportation 鈥淒umpster Fire鈥�

By 5 a.m., a high schooler in a small city between Orlando and Tampa, Florida is up 鈥� sleep deprived but with a sense of urgency: He has to reach the Wesley Chapel bus hub by 5:59 a.m, to get to class by 7:06 a.m. His school now starts earlier to make up for hurricane days and remote learning. 

鈥淥ur bus situation is pretty much a dumpster fire,鈥� his mother responded in the survey, 鈥�…this is unhealthy for those kids. And half the time the bus isn’t at the hub on time, meaning we parents have to drive the half hour one-way trip to the school鈥� 鈥�

At a community school in northern Georgia, 鈥渟ome teachers at my school delay instruction in order to wait for the late buses. This means that some of the students who are not late to school are sitting idly. It is a huge waste of instructional time,鈥� said a school director.  

In Omaha, Nebraska, the city鈥檚 major urban district serving over 50,000 students has begun cutting routes, increasing the living radius to qualify. 

The underlying culprit, many believe, is simple economics. 

鈥淚 hear from principals all over the country that it’s really hard because of the school bus driver pay,鈥� Nozoe said. 鈥淭hese folks who drive commercially can get more money [in] other venues than driving a school bus. (And) it takes a certain kind of person to drive a school bus. You just can’t turn around and scream at the kids at the top of your lungs.鈥�

First Bell: The Writing on the Wall

At a Milwaukee Catholic high school, social studies teacher Mary Talsky has noticed lots of empty seats. For every email about a kid out sick, she gets three to four times more about absences because of mental health issues: My kid is struggling with anxiety and can鈥檛 come in today; I鈥檓 taking my child to an appointment with a psychiatrist. 

鈥淚 have not seen numbers like this before,鈥� Talsky said. 鈥淢aybe they’re just more willing to say that out loud than they were in the past.鈥�  

Across the country, teachers start the day by opening up adjoining classroom walls 鈥� asked to cover for colleagues.  

Lunchtime: Same Cafeteria, Fewer Options

Brooklyn high school senior Samantha Farrow told 社区黑料 students don鈥檛 come to school with COVID as often as they did this time last year. There鈥檚 more understanding from teachers if you miss school for being sick, more flexibility around work turned in late. 

And she鈥檚 noticed another change. 

鈥淚 think a lot of people don’t really sit in the cafeteria anymore, because it feels like a superspreader event,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o a lot of people eat in the hallways or go outside to eat.鈥�

Further west, at Adelante, a K-8 school in Indianapolis, students in the lunch line see now familiar sights: yellow and plastic. Nachos and frozen items make the cut often: as is the case in , food distributors have increased the dollar price per meal. Others districts have trouble finding ingredients.

鈥淥ur food services are still鈥eeling from the overall cost (and) day to day shortages of what can be offered fresh and what can’t 鈥� which can result in kids having to repeat meal patterns day in and day out鈥︹�� said Jordan Habayeb, managing director at Adelante. 

鈥淲e have to dip into [federal] funding,鈥� to offset the increases in food costs, 鈥渨hich then means we have to kind of take the gas off of something else,鈥� Habayeb said. On the chopping block is funding to expand after school clubs. Fifteen are offered, half as many as schools nearby. 

Afterschool: Trade Offs

Come day鈥檚 end in Snellville, Georgia, some students pass on tutoring or afterschool clubs: There is no late bus.

In New Orleans, the principal of a Spanish immersion school reviews applications for new English teachers, the need for more instructors after students spent nearly a year learning remotely and only hearing Spanish spoken at home. 

A high school administrator in Antioch, Illinois starts making calls: Their school furniture supplier has had trouble filling orders.

At the Indianapolis school with plenty of nachos and cheese, about 40 students and staff鈥檚 own kids file into a new free after care program that offers in-depth math tutoring. Fifteen families are on the waitlist. 

And in southern Florida, Haines City High School families head to dinner, part of a new 鈥淧arent University鈥� hosted monthly on-campus. They talk about the new normal around technology, learn how to check their childrens鈥� grades and progress toward graduation requirements. 

鈥淚 think it is really important to remember that yeah, [the pandemic] was pretty bad,鈥� said New Orleans middle school principal Laura Adelman-Cannon, who had to rebuild post-Katrina. 鈥淏ut there have been other really bad things. And we made it through, right? It’s possible.鈥�

But they weren鈥檛 enough. An estimated one out of every five requests for substitutes typically went unfilled pre-pandemic, leaving tens of thousands of classrooms unstaffed and instruction in thousands of schools in near-constant turmoil, especially in under-resourced schools serving Black, Hispanic and low-income students. COVID-19 has only further diminished the substitute supply and heightened competition among schools for a dwindling resource amid widespread teacher shortages.

But a new we鈥檝e done of substitutes in Chicago points to a simple and relatively inexpensive solution that could go a long way toward addressing the problem: providing subs with financial incentives to work in hard-to-staff schools. Though common in the private sector, financial incentives don’t have much history in public education, where educators have long been paid based on their college credits and years of teaching.

The substitute gap is stark in Chicago, where over 100 schools in predominantly low-income communities were able to fill only half of their sub requests in the 2017-18 school year, while another 100-some schools, mostly in more affluent neighborhoods, secured substitutes for more than 95% of their requests.

Chicago鈥檚 Black students experienced classrooms without a substitute at more than three times the rate of their white peers (33% versus 10%). And students from low-income backgrounds faced uncovered classrooms more than twice as often as their more affluent peers (26% compared with 12%). These inequities, also seen in other large urban districts, make substitute coverage a matter of civil rights.

We partnered with Chicago Public Schools, the nation鈥檚 fourth largest district, to design an approach that would bring more substitute teachers into hard-to-staff schools and keep them coming back consistently. The premise was simple: The district would pay a stipend 鈥� $30 to $40 on top of the daily rate of $165 鈥� to all subs working in the schools with the lowest rates of classroom coverage.

The program started with 75 schools in the 2018-19 school year and expanded to a total of 125 the following year. These were almost exclusively located in highly segregated Black and Hispanic communities on Chicago’s South and West sides. The stipends added only $1.1 million to the $42 million the district spent for substitute teachers in the program鈥檚 first year, and $1.7 million in 2019-20, before the pandemic shut schools down in March 2020. 

The results: Those hard-to-staff schools saw a nearly 50% increase in filled substitute requests. Essentially, subs covered an additional 114 teacher absences, on average, in each of these schools 鈥� equivalent to more than 13,000 total student-hours of classroom coverage per school. It鈥檚 hard to put a price tag on learning time, but we estimate the total potential lost investment in instructional expenditures per teacher absence amounts to $1,283. Recouping even a portion of that with a $30 to $40 incentive payment is a rarely matched return on investment in the education research world.

The payoff also extended to a slight but significant positive effect on student achievement in English language arts. The increased coverage didn鈥檛 impact teacher turnover, but it did increase teacher absenteeism slightly in 2019-20, largely because more teachers attended professional development programs knowing that their classrooms would be covered.  

At the Richard J. Daley Academy, Principal Kamilah Hampton saw the difference almost immediately after the policy took effect. 鈥淚 was seeing a huge increase鈥� in substitutes鈥� availability, she told us. The year before, she had struggled to fill classrooms when teachers called in sick. She would send requests to the district, but no substitutes would show up. 鈥淚t was crazy. I didn’t get subs,鈥� she recalled. 鈥淪o my bilingual coordinator, my assistant principal, myself or any free clerk, we鈥檇 have to step in and cover.鈥� 

The public school, a low-slung brick building in Chicago鈥檚 Back of the Yards neighborhood, serves students from pre-K through eighth grade. About 90% are Hispanic, 10% are Black and all qualify for free and reduced-price school lunch.

Citywide, most of those taking advantage of the pilot program鈥檚 stipends were Black and Hispanic substitute teachers who lived within a 10- to 20-minute drive of the school where they were filling in. This reflects the highly segregated nature of the neighborhoods where these schools are located. Many of these subs had already worked at the target schools, though not exclusively. Some had stopped working and may have been drawn back by the higher pay.

Even so, about two-fifths of Chicago鈥檚 substitute teachers who responded to our survey said they wouldn鈥檛 work in the targeted schools even with a 25% pay hike. Of those, a third cited the distance from home and a quarter worried about the safety of the neighborhoods surrounding the schools; many are in under-resourced communities with higher crime rates. 

For schools in Chicago and beyond, the pandemic only intensified the challenge of covering classes. Not only were more teachers absent due to illness and quarantine, but fewer substitutes wanted to set foot in schools when COVID transmission levels were high.

Not surprisingly, as a result, 60% of district leaders in a recent Rand Corp. said they have raised pay for substitute teachers since 2020, with the typical district increasing daily compensation by 6 % over pre-pandemic levels. After adjusting for inflation, that pales in comparison to the pay boost in our Chicago study and is only slightly higher than the 4% average hourly wage increase retail workers experienced during the same period. 

Our Chicago study suggests that a 6% pay hike won鈥檛 come close to solving the substitute shortage, much less making access to subs more equitable across schools. We found that schools in the city鈥檚 more affluent neighborhoods were still filling substitute teaching vacancies at higher rates than the schools offering subs an additional 25% stipend. We estimated that it would take almost a 50% bonus targeted to hard-to-staff schools to fully level the playing field. 

Ultimately, the substitute dilemma points to the way racial and economic segregation degrades the quality of education for many students in the nation鈥檚 cities. Residents who have college degrees 鈥� required until recently to become certified as a substitute 鈥� and flexible schedules are more likely to live in higher-income areas, far from the schools that struggle to attract substitutes. Not surprisingly, they鈥檙e reluctant to commute long distances to higher-crime neighborhoods.

Building cadres of local community members to serve as full-time substitutes could help. So would improving training and working conditions. But a more permanent solution requires a vastly larger effort: confronting the causes and consequences of the racial and economic inequality that plague urban centers.

Louisiana students may soon see their local state representative as their new substitute teacher.

The state House of Representatives unanimously passed Thursday. It requests each House member to volunteer as a substitute teacher in a public school.

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鈥淢ost of us have been sitting on the bench, and now鈥檚 the time when the coach calls us into the game,鈥� said Rep. Patrick Jefferson, author of the bill and vice chair of the House Education committee.

There are about 2,500 certified teacher vacancies across the state, state education superintendent Cade Brumley told the House Education Committee last month. He calculated that the vacancies impact 2,500 classrooms with an average 20 students or a total of 50,000 K-12 students.

鈥淚鈥檓 encouraging each of us (to volunteer) as a means of showing appreciation, as a means of showing what we believe as far as education is concerned,鈥� Jefferson said.

鈥淢any of you are already doing this鈥� it鈥檚 no attempt to throw shade or to embarrass anyone. I just think it鈥檇 be a great idea and an opportunity for all of us,鈥� he added.

The House resolution does not carry the weight of law, as it is only a recommendation or expresses intent. It also doesn鈥檛 require the approval of the Senate or governor.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jarvis DeBerry for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on and .

Seattle Public Schools announced that its 52,000 students would have due to large shares of staff making Veterans Day into a four-day weekend. And in Montgomery County, Maryland, the Board of Education voted this week to make a scheduled half-day before Thanksgiving a vacation day for the district鈥檚 165,000 students because there are to fill in for the large number of educators taking time off before the break.

In an even more extreme case, in West Michigan made a last-minute call to shutter their doors from Nov. 9 to Nov. 15 due to high shares of staff out for COVID-19, other illnesses or for personal reasons, the district announced Monday.

鈥淲e are unable to sufficiently staff our buildings to meet the needs of our students. Sub shortages are not unique to NPS, and this is a challenge we, as well as many other districts are facing,鈥� the district wrote in a Nov. 9 unsigned to families.

In Seattle, requested substitute teachers for the day after Veterans Day, the district said.

鈥淲e are aware of a larger than normal number of [Seattle Public School] staff taking leave on Friday, and do not believe we have adequate personnel to open schools,鈥� the district explained in an email sent to parents on Tuesday, just three days before the shutdown. 

In Montgomery County, the sudden change to the Thanksgiving holiday prompted outrage from some parents.

鈥淭o give families 13 days of notice 鈥� have you no consideration for parents in health care, parents who are essential workers, parents who basically count on the school schedule that you publish?鈥� parent Dr. Jennifer Reesman told . 鈥淵ou basically told us all that you don鈥檛 care about us.鈥�

The closures further compound the disruptions that schools have weathered over the past 20 months of the pandemic 鈥� exacerbating academic, social and emotional challenges for many students.

鈥淣ow is the time to double down and hopefully get students even more access to even more great instruction, not less,鈥� Tequilla Brownie, executive vice president of The New Teacher Project, told 社区黑料.

With dwindling substitute teacher reserves in many school systems nationwide, Daniel Domenech, executive director of the School Superintendents Association, said there鈥檚 little district leaders can do when educators request leave around the holidays.

鈥淭hese are days that teachers can take,鈥� he told 社区黑料, explaining that the right to use paid time off, known as PTO, is stipulated in many educator contracts. 鈥淥rdinarily, school districts would rely on substitutes to cover for teachers. The problem is, you can’t find substitutes.鈥�

Closures are 鈥渘ot what superintendents want,鈥� the AASA leader continued. 鈥淭hey want to get the kids back to school 鈥� They’re doing everything that they can with the resources that they have to mitigate the situation.鈥� 

The pandemic, however, has shown that school systems can get creative, Brownie pointed out. Some districts tapped central office staff to help out with remote learning. She wonders whether it could have been possible to replicate those solutions to avoid school closures this time around.

鈥淭he most dismal option is to shutter the doors,鈥� said the education equity expert.

In Montgomery County, the scheduling change comes on the heels of weeks of educator frustration and burnout. Two weeks ago, teachers held a to protest staffing shortages that, they said, were exhausting and stressing out employees. Signs taped in vehicle windows lamented 鈥渟keleton crews鈥� and educators 鈥渄rowning鈥� in their workload, The Washington Post reported.

During a press conference Tuesday, union President Jennifer Martin warned of a 鈥済reat resignation鈥� in Maryland鈥檚 largest district if Montgomery County does not improve conditions for its teachers. The school system currently has , including 161 teaching positions, according to local reporting.

鈥淲e hope you are able to take some time to rest and recharge during the extended Thanksgiving Break,鈥� said a Nov. 9 to families and teachers signed Montgomery County Public Schools.

Many school systems across the country have tried to preempt such situations by scheduling extra time for staff and students to recharge. Over a dozen districts 鈥� including and 鈥� recently announced days off or shortened schedules to fight burnout and provide mental health breaks for educators, according to a recent from Burbio, a data service that has tracked school calendars through the pandemic. 

District announcements generally did not mention substitute teacher shortages, though it鈥檚 possible the desire to avoid needing more coverage for teachers than they could supply also played into the calculus for some school administrators.

Policy varies on whether the days off will have to be made up later in the school year. Most states require that schools be in session 180 days a year. A local that Montgomery County鈥檚 2021-22 school calendar had 182 days built in so the additional day off would not affect it. The Newaygo Public Schools used up five of its snow days in the current closure, .

The disruptions, planned and unplanned, are yet another byproduct of the pandemic, said Domenech. He鈥檚 hopeful that newly authorized vaccines for younger children will help make the situation more normal by the spring. 

But in the meantime, he acknowledged that the scheduling changes may frustrate many families.

鈥淲orking parents very much are dependent on [having their children in school],鈥� he said.

Some districts are offering thousands in signing bonuses, others adapt to four-day work weeks and many are easing the way for college students or other would-be teaching candidates to get quickly certified.

In 2018, the National Bureau of Labor Statistics would leave the profession annually through 2026 鈥� a number that did not take into account the pandemic鈥檚 effects on teacher retention and retirement. A 2020 revealed that almost a third nationwide would likely retire early or leave the profession because of the pandemic. Yet the bureau鈥檚 recent job data shows that actual teacher turnover levels are similar 鈥� and in some cases lower 鈥斕齮han pre-pandemic levels. The estimated outcomes from alarming polls, suggesting that teachers everywhere would imminently leave the profession, have not necessarily come to fruition.

Retirement and attrition do vary greatly by county or state 鈥� saw about 200 more teachers leave by the end August 2020 than in 2019 or 2018, while Minnesota experienced the opposite effect 鈥� and there鈥檚 still much to be understood about the full scope of how the pandemic has affected the teaching force. At the same time, we do know that fewer adults are heading into .

The lengths that some school and state leaders are going to to fill current vacancies, especially for special education and substitute teachers, does demonstrate that districts are seeing urgent staffing needs and are getting creative to meet them.

Accelerated licensure programs and alternatives for state teaching exams are popping up across the country to urgently meet students鈥� needs. Houston, for instance, had over 400 teacher openings as of mid-August; some may be filled by .

Though places like metro aren鈥檛 experiencing the same levels of staff scarcity, they are still offering a $5,000 sign-on incentive for special education teachers. Greater Atlanta鈥檚 DeKalb County Schools are also recruiting for full-time positions.

Out West, a aims to transform the educator pipeline by recruiting high school students into teacher programs, former military personnel and adjunct professors. Nevada鈥檚 Carson City Schools will public employees to fill special education vacancies, and others in California are adopting the strategy of recruiting teachers where they鈥檝e grown up, incentivizing staying in-state for higher education or pursuing teaching residencies in their home districts.

One framed staffing challenges as a human capital problem, not a financial one. To aid schools鈥� pandemic recovery, millions in unprecedented federal relief funds are on their way to states. Only a handful included teacher recruitment or retention strategies in their budget proposals; nationwide, priorities for the relief funds are expanding academic tutoring and mental health care.

And critical shortages go beyond the classroom 鈥� are , after many have retired or decided to not risk COVID-19 exposure. Up to 250 National Guard service members will drive students to school in Massachusetts, and school leaders in are encouraging their governor to consider the same. Efforts to engage the National Guard in New York were rejected by Gov. Kathy Hochul; a spokesperson for her team said school transportation was

In , where drivers are leaving en masse after the district mandated staff vaccines, some families of students with disabilities were given two days to find alternative transportation for the first day of school.

Students and families across the country are feeling the impacts of missing critical staff as the 2021-22 school year and quarantines get underway.

We鈥檝e compiled some of the special education and substitute teacher recruitment efforts currently in effect:

Special Education Teacher Recruitment

reported teacher shortages in special education in the 2020-21 school year.

鈥淲e beg, borrow and steal wherever we can to find some good quality special education teachers for our district,鈥� Jose Delfin. The schools chief spoke during a school board meeting where the district designated the labor shortage as critical, enabling the hiring of retired public employees.

And while advocates have sounded the alarm on a declining special education force for , states like have just established recruitment and retention task forces.

Click here if you cannot access the interactive version of this map.

Substitute Teacher Recruitment

Schools across the country employ between 500,000 and 600,000 subs annually, according to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics. School administrators in say substitute applications have trickled to a stop. For smaller districts in California with teachers heading into COVID-19 quarantines, declining substitute teacher pools could force school .

In Idaho, Gov. Brad Little to fill shortages, 鈥淚 urge Idahoans in a position to serve as a substitute teacher or other classroom support staff to contact your school district and get signed up. Idaho students and our communities need you.鈥�

Click here if you cannot access the interactive version of this map.