DISTRICTS FEEL CRUNCH OF HIRING SUBSTITUTES

Competition, low daily pay and stringent state requirements have forced area school districts to scramble for substitute teachers this year.

Cape Girardeau assistant superintendent Bill Biggerstaff said there is generally a short list of people available to work on any given day because the substitutes usually make themselves available to more than one district in the area.

And state requirements generally limit the applicant pool to retired teachers, college students or former college students, or teacher certificate holders, he said.

"We never have enough," Biggerstaff said, explaining that illness, parenting problems and teacher workshops often keep teachers out of the classroom and the district in need of substitutes.

Nell Holcomb Superintendent David Fuemmeler uses newspaper advertisements and contacts at the Southeast Missouri State University placement office to build his pool of substitutes. The school district generally can depend on one or two reliable substitutes, but problems can occur if those people are hired permanently, he said.

"Everybody's pulling from the same pool, so you don't usually find districts too willing to share any names with you," said Fuemmeler. "We usually can depend on a couple of good, competent ones who stick with us, but we have found there's somewhat of a shortage, also."

From California to Kentucky, school districts are facing a substitute teacher shortage. Part of the problem is that some teacher absences are caused by the imposition of higher academic standards, and regular teachers must undergo more training that takes them out of classrooms.

Reductions in class sizes have created full-time jobs for some former substitutes while the booming economy has pulled some would-be substitutes from the schools.

Substitute teachers are generally paid $45 to $50 a day, which isn't a full-time income for certified teachers, a local administrator said.

Chaffee Superintendent Dr. Bob Biggs said low pay and competition between school districts often mean school administrators must make decisions that aren't necessarily in the best interests of students. In the end, classes have to be covered, and administrators have to find the most qualified person available at the time.

"Basically, you just make do," said Biggs. "You want somebody who has a degree if you can, but sometimes you just can't find anybody."

Often it means doubling up classes, asking other teachers to cover a class on their preparatory period or sending an administrator to cover a class, he said. None of these is good.

In some states, like Kentucky, districts are allowed to accept substitutes who only have a high school diploma. The cutoff had been two years of college. Michigan lawmakers are considering lowering the cutoff from 90 semester hours to 60 semester hours of college.

So area districts are compiling their lists of substitute teachers, in hopes of having enough supply for the demand.

Missouri's school districts are required to submit information on all prospective substitute teachers to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Applicants must have at least 60 hours of college credit and pass a background screening. Once the screening process is completed, a 45- or 90-day substitute teaching certificate is issued, making the person eligible to work in Missouri classrooms.

Teacher certificate holders, including retired teachers and those without a full-time teaching position, may work as a substitute for more than 90 days, but retired teachers are limited to 550 teaching hours a year.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this story.