KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – A new bill that will allow school districts to recruit just about any staffer to substitute teach may be useful in Kalamazoo schools.
KPS Superintendent Dr. Rita Raichoudhuri says they have had a shortage of substitute teachers for years, which has only gotten worse during the pandemic.
“The district is still experiencing a shortage of substitute or guest teachers on a daily basis,” Raichoudhuri said.
She adds that the district has already reassigned most qualified staff members to serve as substitutes when needed, and even Raichoudhuri herself says she has returned to the classroom in a pinch, as have most of her administrators.
“A number of our central office team members have stepped up and subbed in classrooms,” Raichoudhuri said.
The bill would allow districts to waive the state’s 60 college credit hour minimum and put para-professionals, secretaries, and even bus drivers and food service workers in classrooms.
However, most of those workers are also in short supply in Kalamazoo.
Teacher unions opposed the bill, saying it undermines the quality of education, but sponsor Brad Paquette of Niles says it’s an emergency measure that would expire at the end of the school year.
— Copy written by John McNeil —
Comments