By SHANNON HAUGLAND
Sentinel Staff Writer
Since the pay for substitute teachers was raised in 2021, a few more subs have signed up, but the Sitka School District is still on the lookout for more, says Superintendent Frank Hauser.
Hauser said the district has a pool of 31 substitutes, but he would like to see a number closer to 50 to be on hand to cover for teachers and others who are out sick, away for training or for other reasons.
Substitutes, he said, “are so essential to everyday running of what we do. I appreciate the work they do, filling in, supporting students, supporting staff.”
Linda Fredrickson listens to a toast during her retirement party in 2021. The popular kindergarten teacher has been back in the Baranof Elementary School classroom teaching as a substitute. (Sentnel File Photo)
The School District has a link for employment on its sitkaschools.org website, with links to “employment” and “substitutes.”
The district used some of its pandemic relief CARES Act funds to raise pay from $115 to $150 a day for substitutes who have valid Alaska teaching certificates. Pay for non-certified teaching substitutes, formerly $85 a day, was raised to $120.
The increases were prompted by the growing problem of finding substitutes, both for certified and noncertified teachers.
“We just weren’t getting anyone who was interested,” Hauser said. “The cost of living has gone up and we wanted to be comparable to other districts in Southeast.”
The current pay is consistent with other Southeast communities.
While certified substitute teachers are a huge need, Hauser said subs without certification are needed for teaching and other roles in the district such as paraprofessionals or office workers. The pay varies according to the level of education.
A 21-page orientation booklet on the district’s website describes some of the requirements, which include such physical requirements as “ability to safely, regularly lift and move up to 20 pounds and occasionally lift or move up to 50 pounds.”
In broader terms, a substitute must “personally demonstrate and facilitate others in demonstrating respect for the individual and cultural characteristics of others,” and “work to maintain a learning environment in which all students are actively engaged and contributing members, and which is conducive to learning for all students.”
Hauser said the job definitely has flexibility, where those applying can say where they want to work.
“If you want to work at Keet Gooshi Heen because you have a connection to the school and want to be there, we can do that, or if you are only interested in substitute jobs for a specific teacher, we can accommodate you,” the superintendent said.
He said that the current teaching staff, principals and assistant principals frequently cover for teachers who are out when subs can’t be found.
“We are lucky that staff and principals can cover classes, and staff can cover during their prep time – they’re always great about helping out when we are short subs,” Hauser said. “We’re thankful that we have staff that support their colleagues, and support the students.”
This comes at a cost, he noted, since it takes away time these subs need for their regular duties, such as school administration or the prep time that’s built into the teachers’ schedules.
At Keet Gooshi Heen Elementary, Principal Casey Demmert said a shortage of subs is a near-daily issue for his school.
“It feels like every day the first part of the morning is spent on how to cover classrooms due to a lack of subs – how we’re going to make it work,” he said.
Today, for example, the school has two teachers out for illness and a vacancy in an administrative assistant position.
Demmert said he was able to fill one teaching position and administrative assistant position from the sub list, and one was covered in-house. It frequently feels like a bit of a scramble, he said.
“There has been a number of occasions this school year we’ve been unable to fill one teacher absence from the sub list, and it feels like a rarity that there’s a day when we have all of our absences filled with actual substitute teachers,” he said.
While the CARES Act has facilitated the pay increases on a temporary basis, an action item tentatively set for the December School Board agenda may make the increases permanent, officials said.
Hauser also highlighted the opportunity presented to the public to see if a career in teaching is right for them, or for recently certified teachers to get a foot in the door, particularly when long-term sub positions are open.
Hauser recalls his own experience, signing up as a sub in Anchorage after earning his teaching certificate in April 1998. He was lucky to be hired as a sub in his field – music at Dimond High School.
That fall he went to work fulltime teaching elementary school music, and he believes his work as a sub helped, both in his training and in his being hired for the fulltime position.
“One of the things about being a sub is it helps you get experience working with a lot of different students,” the superintendent said. “It helps build relationships with teachers, relationships with staff that you’ll have collegial relationships with.”
