CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When your kid’s teacher calls out sick it’s important that schools have subs in place to ensure learning continues in the classroom. But how are local schools doing when it comes to hiring and retaining substitute teachers?
OUR SOURCES
- Local school districts
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics
WHAT WE FOUND
A January study from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says traditionally, demand has exceeded supply for substitute teachers at current wages.
According to the study, teacher absences can cripple student achievement.
Locally, many school districts actually told us they are in a pretty good position this year, when it comes to hiring and retaining substitute teachers.
WCNC Charlotte emailed all of the school districts in our area, here are the ones that got back to us.
Lincoln, Kannapolis and Avery schools all report that they are satisfied with where they stand with their subs. Two of the largest school districts in our area also report a significant increase in subs from last year
CMS saw an almost 75% increase as their roster of active subs soared from 1,020 last school year to 1,704 this year.
Union County also said their sub-fill rate has increased from 48% to 81%, and they’re seeing a drop in unfilled teacher absences.
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Two years ago, there were 12,437 absences, but last year, that number was down to just 5,357.
Other school districts like Stanly and Fort Mill tell us that subs are managed by a third-party vendor or through a pool system.
Even though the schools that got back to us say they are in good shape with their substitute teachers, all of them say they are always looking for more subs.. and many school districts are offering hiring incentives for teachers who join the program.
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