Everyone who has attended school remembers how the class clowns came out of the woodwork when they learned a substitute would be on duty. Rather than instructing, the teacher spent a good bit of his or her time attempting to restore order amid the mischief-making.
We hope today's students are more well-behaved than in the past, but we suspect substitute teaching remains somewhat of a thankless job, sporadic work that pays only slightly more than the local supermarket.
Perhaps it's little surprise, then, that many school districts in the area face problems when it comes to keeping classes covered. One Washington County administrator, in fact, called the shortage of substitutes "an epidemic problem."
Fill-in teachers are necessary, of course, when the full-timers call off sick. But substitutes also take over for teachers who seek professional enhancement during the school year. Without someone to spell them in the classroom, instructors miss out on such training.
As school districts bemoan the substitute shortage, some are bumping up the daily pay. McGuffey, for example, increased the amount by $10 per diem. But that put the going rate at $80, or $10 per hour based on an eight-hour day.
The downside is a variant of the "wage-price spiral" lesson of Economics 101: Pay increases add to a district's expenditures, which in turn could affect property taxes, which in turn could affect the outcome of school board races during elections.
In the opinion of some administrators, compensation is not the key issue. Rather, the dwindling pool of substitute teachers is more indicative of a desire on the part of most individuals to seek employment that is more steady and predictable.
One attraction to substituting is that those who do and perform competently have a good shot at being hired as full-time teachers. That's a double-edged sword, though: It gives substitutes incentive to hang around, but it further erodes their numbers once they make the transition.
Charleroi Area School District has hit upon what appears to be a workable solution. The district has a staff of permanent substitutes, people who are employed flexibly and, important to them, steadily.
And a recognizable face might help keep the class clowns in check when a substitute teacher steps into the room.