FCPS Sub shortage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, do teachers have to find their own subs?

2 options:
-teacher contacts someone who agrees to the job, they put that person in the system.
-teacher puts job in the system, anyone registered as a sub can pick it up. Sometimes you get an awesome sub, more often it's an utter disaster

In my experience, it is usually an utter disaster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:109 unfilled sub jobs county wide as of 10 a.m. today. Maybe principals and parents will start complaining and the county will do something to address this problem.

I hope you're right. They need to increase the pay and require a four-year degree. The former would attract retired teachers and people who are otherwise well-qualified but not motivated enough to do the job because of the low pay. The latter would probably weed out a lot of people who can't read, write, or speak English well enough to execute a lesson plan and/or give directions to the students.

[Anonymous]

But isn't the sub shortage also a function of the economy? If it's easier to find higher paying jobs, then there will be sub vacancies. If it's harder to find higher paying jobs, then there will be more subs available.

[Anonymous]

^ So your solution is to blame the economy instead of realizing that the sub pay is out of wack with the economy and adjusting it?

[Anonymous]

Is there any way to decrease the need for so many subs? Teachers seem to be out all the time and from what I read don't really seem to get a lot out of their training.

[Anonymous]

We need a lot more general education teachers - not specialists in ESL or SpecEd or IAs or administrators - just regular teachers in front of students.

[Anonymous]

I'm an ESOL teacher and I'm in front of students all day long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:109 unfilled sub jobs county wide as of 10 a.m. today. Maybe principals and parents will start complaining and the county will do something to address this problem.

I hope you're right. They need to increase the pay and require a four-year degree. The former would attract retired teachers and people who are otherwise well-qualified but not motivated enough to do the job because of the low pay. The latter would probably weed out a lot of people who can't read, write, or speak English well enough to execute a lesson plan and/or give directions to the students.

Requiring a four-year degree would only deepen the shortage.

[Anonymous]

if they want more than barely-sentient beings, they have to increase the pay. its not worth the hassle. the only qualiifed, educated subs they can get right now are bored retired teachers and bored SAHMs.

[Anonymous]

bored overeducated SAHM here-my friend subs at our dcs school and tried to talk me into it too "for fun" but the take-home pay basically makes it volunteer work. I would do it for $20/hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:109 unfilled sub jobs county wide as of 10 a.m. today. Maybe principals and parents will start complaining and the county will do something to address this problem.

I hope you're right. They need to increase the pay and require a four-year degree. The former would attract retired teachers and people who are otherwise well-qualified but not motivated enough to do the job because of the low pay. The latter would probably weed out a lot of people who can't read, write, or speak English well enough to execute a lesson plan and/or give directions to the students.

Requiring a four-year degree would only deepen the shortage.

Not if they increased the pay along with it. There are plenty of retired teachers and other qualified people who aren’t willing to do the job at the current pay rate and I don’t really blame them.

[Anonymous]

Subs are paid $14.23 for a 7 1/2 hour day but don’t get paid for their half hour lunch so the gross is $99.61 before taxes. If you figure it takes you 15 minutes to get to a school, park and get situated and 15 minutes to drive home then you,are paid $99.61 for an eight hour day or $12.45 an hour. It is hardly worth it. For that price you get many subs who are solely doing the job for the money and may not be qualified to do much else. Teachers are constantly com-laining about subs who barely speak English and don’t follow lesson plans or, often, no sub at all picking up their jobs. With no benefits and such low pay the quality of subs is awful and the students pay the price.

[Anonymous]

I’m a SAHM with a master’s degree (not in education, though) and would consider substitute teaching if it paid more. When I recently did a short term, part-time gig in my field, I got $25/hr and was able to set my own hours.

A lot of babysitters get paid more per hr than subs.

[Anonymous]

Pp, and that is what FCPS is getting these days, babysitters. People who can’t teach or manage kids, but function as baby sitters.

[Anonymous]

Well, the school board is seeking donations to help pay for the Stuart High School name change. Perhaps they could do the same to help raise substitute pay.