FCPS Sub shortage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm an administrator and always see the sub situation as a barometer for our economy. When there's a shortage, the economy is good. When it's in the tank like in 2008...2009 etc, then we had every sub position filled with really competent people. Didn't matter the grade level or subject. [/quote

make sense. If you are unemplyoed you going to stil work else where while looking for a job. once you get hired you quit this job.

[Anonymous]

My mom just moved here from Boston. She is a retired teacher. When she moved here she contemplated being a sub part time but decided pay too low to be worth it.
Too bad she's a great teacher.

[Anonymous]

I subbed in Fairfax in the mid-1990s right out of college. I believe the pay was $69/day. It's mind-boggling who little the pay has increased. No wonder there is such a shortage.

I recently moved to the Seattle suburbs and started subbing.
The pay is $169/day but you do need a degree in education.

[Anonymous]

It seems to be system wide. I've taught for decades but recently I've seen more teachers being asked to cover classes due to substitute shortages than ever before. Luckily, teachers are more than willing to help out and there are more volunteers to cover classes than needed.

The subs I've talked to have mentioned the lowered pay rate as the reason they do not sub a lot. They pick and choose but will not break their necks because it's not financially worth the trouble. Others cited that distance was a subfactor. They weren't getting paid enough to brave the traffic for so little money.

[Anonymous]

Curious: are the teachers sick or doing inservice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious: are the teachers sick or doing inservice?

It could be for a variety of reasons. Those are just two.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

That's the problem. Some schools have so many non-classroom teachers. I know a lower elementary school of less than 400 students which has 6 full time ELL teachers, 4 SpEd, a Math specialist, r Reading specialist, 2 focus specialists and 1 teacher for exceptional students. There are also 3 others teachers whose title I don't even know ...

The average classroom size is 18 students so I don't understand why the school needs all these extra teachers.

[Anonymous]

What FCPS elementary school has less than 400 students? That is less than half the size of the average elementary/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

That's the problem. Some schools have so many non-classroom teachers. I know a lower elementary school of less than 400 students which has 6 full time ELL teachers, 4 SpEd, a Math specialist, r Reading specialist, 2 focus specialists and 1 teacher for exceptional students. There are also 3 others teachers whose title I don't even know ...

The average classroom size is 18 students so I don't understand why the school needs all these extra teachers.

In contrast, my school has about 825 students. There are primary classes with 30 students. We have one ESOL teacher and one reading specialist. That's about it other than SpEd.

I don't know what a focus specialist is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

That's the problem. Some schools have so many non-classroom teachers. I know a lower elementary school of less than 400 students which has 6 full time ELL teachers, 4 SpEd, a Math specialist, r Reading specialist, 2 focus specialists and 1 teacher for exceptional students. There are also 3 others teachers whose title I don't even know ...

The average classroom size is 18 students so I don't understand why the school needs all these extra teachers.

Because by grace of god you do not have a child who is special needs or twice dcrptional or speaks no English whatsoever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What happens if the teacher puts the job in and no one takes it?

Then they pull someone else or find a patchwork of staff in the building to cover. Or if a non-classroom teacher has a sub in the building then they'll pull that sub to cover the class with no sub. It sucks when you've arranged a good sub in advance and spent hours writing plans and preparing materials and you get back to school and find out that they pulled your sub because another teacher didn't have their job filled. But that's life. Or, in some cases they might split the kids among the other classes in the same grade.

That's the problem. Some schools have so many non-classroom teachers. I know a lower elementary school of less than 400 students which has 6 full time ELL teachers, 4 SpEd, a Math specialist, r Reading specialist, 2 focus specialists and 1 teacher for exceptional students. There are also 3 others teachers whose title I don't even know ...

The average classroom size is 18 students so I don't understand why the school needs all these extra teachers.

I call BS if you are referring to a school FCPS.

[Anonymous]

In my contract, I can't be asked to cover for another teacher so I think this puts the pressure on admin to get a real substitute. They often use aides to cover classes they can't find subs for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my contract, I can't be asked to cover for another teacher so I think this puts the pressure on admin to get a real substitute. They often use aides to cover classes they can't find subs for.

Are you FCPS? I am asked at least 1-2x per month to cover classes.

I teach at a low income middle school so I think our jobs are the last ones to be picked up...

[Anonymous]

I recently subbed in APS which pays slightly more than FCPS or fccps, but not as ,inch as dcps. At orientation we were told that about 50-60 jobs per day go unfilled.
Now, APS is less than 10% the size of FCPS so I can imagine it's a much greater number of uncovered classrooms there.