A substitute teacher crunch has forced Chicago area school districts to raise sub pay, to use parents as subs and even to seek out teachers from moonlighting police and fire department ranks. The crunch also means good subs are getting harder to find, some say. "It's not only a quantity problem but a quality problem," said Barbara Radner, director of DePaul University's Center for Urban Education, which serves as expert partner to 31 academically troubled Chicago public schools. "We're getting to the bottom of the talent pool and it's empty," she said. And a bad sub, Radner explained, can move a class backward by confusing students.
Radner said Chicago's sub shortage is at "crisis" levels and the worst she's seen in 15 years, although city school officials say West Side schools seem to be affected the most. Using the Chicago system's substitute teacher center is like engaging in "Russian roulette", Radner said. "Every sixth sub you get could be a total blowup." Increasingly, she said, principals in schools she works with say they can't get subs, or the subs they get leave midday because they can't handle the job. Chicago school officials are recruiting police officers and firefighters to sub in high-crime areas that some subs refuse to enter. A sub recruitment push is also planned on college campuses—among graduate and doctoral students who may find the part-time work attractive, Schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas said.
Teachers often leave detailed lesson plans for subs if they know in advance they will be off, and keep "emergency plans" on file for unexpected absences, such as an illness. But Radner said emergency plans can amount to "a recipe for baby-sitter." Carolyn Martin said her daughter's last sub at Bolingbrook's Tibbott Elementary in Valley View District 365 was so unpleasant that she may demand to sit in the classroom next time there's a problem sub. "The last time they had a sub, the substitute teacher had to call the principal into the room," Martin said, "This is a third-grade classroom, and the lady couldn't even handle it".
Demand for subs is high because of several factors, school officials say. For starters, those who hold sub certificate may not be using them because they have found better-paying jobs in today's booming economy. Six or seven years age, Schaumburg District 54 Associate Supt. Kenneth Cull said, "I used to have 30 real estate agents sign up for sub work because they had college degrees and business was slow. I don't have that anymore." Sub pools have been further consumed by several waves of early teacher retirements and increased student enrollments—both of which have meant more subs are being hired as full-time teachers.
