Valley faces shortage of substitute teachers

When Jim Hildebrand walks in to Boardman High School, the retired salesman usually only has a vague idea what he will be teaching that day.

A building substitute for the last five years, Hildebrand teaches whatever is needed that day -- math, science, social studies or anything else.

"I love what I'm doing," Hildebrand said. "I've been doing this for five years in Boardman and in Poland high schools. I've seen these kids as they've gone from the ninth to the 12th grades."

In many ways, Hildebrand is the exception rather than the rule among substitutes because he only teaches at two schools.

Hildebrand often only knows he is working when he wakes up in the morning to the ringing of his phone. "I will decide whether I want the day's job when I answer it."

Lakeview schools Superintendent Velina Jo Taylor, who worked as a substitute teacher for a year, said some see the job as thankless.

"Often substitutes go blindly into classrooms, hoping the regular teacher left lesson plans for them to follow," Taylor said. "They sometimes are not welcomed by other teachers in the buildings."

The Mahoning Valley and the state are seeing a shortage of substitute teachers and aides.

Because of the shortage, the Warren City School District -- for the first time in a decade -- increased substitutes' pay to attract more to work in the district.

OUTSIDE HELP

Districts in Mahoning and Trumbull counties are working with outside organizations to attract and screen potential substitutes when full-time teachers are not able to make it to their classes because of illnesses, required training or other reasons.

The Trumbull County Educational Service Center provides names of possible substitutes for the vast majority of school districts in the county.

"We make sure substitutes have the proper credentials," said Carlotta Sheets, human resource supervisor for TCESC. "For those looking to be substitutes, we make sure they obtain the proper license from the Ohio Department of Education, which requires a bachelor's degree and a clean background check. We require them to complete an online class about substitute teaching."

Two Trumbull districts, Warren and Girard, do their own screenings and have their own lists of substitute candidates, Sheets said.

Sheets did not give a definite number of substitutes available in the area because the number fluctuates. However, she stressed, "We definitely need substitute teachers."

Sheets said substitutes do not need to have education degrees, as long as they have bachelor's degrees. Educational aides do not require a bachelor's degree.

Girard Superintendent Bryan O'Hara said the district searches for and has its own file of available substitutes when there is a need.

School districts determine how much substitutes earn per day. Girard recently increased what it pays substitutes to $100 per day.

"Hopefully, this will attract additional people we can have on our list," O'Hara said. "It is a matter of supply and demand. Raising the amount that is paid to substitutes is a trend happening across the state."

CONSISTENCY

O'Hara said it is critically important to have consistent and effective substitutes available.

"You have to have a certain demeanor and skill to walk into a classroom, maintain control and follow lesson plans," he said.

O'Hara said the district has filled some positions with substitutes when its full-time teachers have gone on extended leaves.

Taylor, who started as Lakeview's superintendent earlier this school year, said she has not seen a lot of teacher absences so far. However, as Brookfield schools superintendent for three years, she knows teacher absenteeism can be a problem.

"We instituted an incentive program in Brookfield in which teachers with perfect attendance during the school year could receive $1,100," Taylor said. "Teachers that missed a few days could receive a lower amount based on the days missed. There were four different levels before the incentives ended."

The incentive program reduced absenteeism by about a third, she said.

Lakeview has been working for one-and-a-half years with a program called Frontline that helps find substitutes, said Rose Knight, who is in charge of locating substitutes.

"We average five substitutes a day," Knight said. "When we need more than that, it becomes difficult finding enough people."

Knight said Frontline is fortunate there are some good quality substitutes who can generally be reached.

KEEPS BUSY

James Clark, 74, who has been working as a substitute since 2007, works as a middle and high school substitute in three districts -- LaBrae, Lakeview and Lordstown. He averages three days per week and could do more if he wanted that level of commitment.

A former industrial engineer at Packard Electric, Clark will teach any subject assigned, but prefers math and science courses.

"I wasn't ready to stay at home when my job was eliminated and a friend told me about substituting," he said. "During the first few months I was nervous, but that was because I didn't know the kids or what to expect."

Today, Clark has worked with many of the students since they were in the sixth grade.

"If we cannot find a substitute, we have teachers who normally would be on their planning periods cover the classroom at $24.22 per period," Taylor said.

At seven periods per day, it costs the Lakeview district $169.44 per day to have one of its full-time teachers fill in instead of finding a substitute, Taylor said.

Lordstown schools Superintendent Terry Armstrong said the district generally uses TCESC to obtain names of possible substitutes.

"We have substitutes that we have had for years that do a great job," Armstrong said.

Armstrong said the district works to encourage teachers not to miss school day by providing a quality and professional environment in buildings so there is not a need to bring in substitutes.

"It is very important to us as a district and to students to have their teacher here on a daily basis. Engagement and performance is at its best when a teacher (who) knows the students' needs and abilities is with them," Armstrong said.

WARREN'S PAY

Warren recently increased the amount substitute teachers may earn from $80 to $100 per day, depending on the substitute's identification in the district. On-call substitutes who previously earned $80 per day now may earn up to $95 per day.

Pay for building substitutes, assigned to different school buildings on a regular basis, earn $85 to $100 per day. Building substitutes are those guaranteed to work four days per week in the same school building. They are employed on annual building contracts.

Warren schools this year has 10 building substitutes and 31 day-to-day substitutes. During the last school year, the district had 34 building substitutes and 34 day-to-day substitutes.

The district in the last school year paid $395,573 for substitutes.

Youngstown City Schools, as well as the majority of the other Mahoning County school districts, use the firm Rachel Wixey & Associates to locate, screen and provide substitute teachers.

Rachel Wixey has contracted with the Mahoning Valley Council of Governments since 2014. There are 288 active substitute teachers working in the nine districts that are part of the partnership. The districts are Austintown, Boardman, Campbell, Canfield, Mahoning County ESC, Mahoning Career and Technical Center, Poland, Struthers and Youngstown City.

The temporary services company, formed in 2010, provides employees for more than 100 school districts throughout Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin.

"We have seen a steady increase in the need for qualified and reliable substitutes for all position types that are required in schools," said Nekiesha Taylor, a spokeswoman with Rachel Wixey. "We see the good economy affecting our candidate pool -- meaning more job opportunities and competitive wages."

Youngstown schools spokeswoman Denise Dick said the district encourages its regular full-time teachers not to miss any days with an attendance incentive built into the union contract.

An individual teacher who logs perfect attendance for an academic semester earns a $150 attendance incentive. Those who miss one day in an academic semester earn a $100 incentive.

"When the annual attendance of a school building meets or exceeds the state average for teacher attendance for the prior year, as reported by (the Ohio Department of Education) on the district report card, each teacher assigned to that building gets an annual attendance stipend of $300," Dick said.

Pete Pirone, superintendent of Struthers schools, works to reduce the cost of using substitutes by encouraging its employees to take only a partial day, instead of a full day, off to take care of issues.

"It has helped," Pirone said.

Pirone recognizes, however, the district has quite a few younger teachers who have families of their own, with children who get sick and they have to take off.

"We used to have an incentive program to encourage teachers not to miss any days, but found the only employees that took advantage of it were those who would not have missed days anyway," Pirone said.