As some districts consider returning to school this fall – one major roadblock could be in the way.
While there has been plenty of coverage of a pending teacher shortage, a substitute teacher shortage is also expected.
Increased demand for substitute teachers means that there will be fewer for small districts to pull from. Advocates say even they will see risks associated with going back to school, though, and could opt-out of being regular substitutes.
Superintendents say while it was hard before to hire qualified substitutes, it will be even worse this year with the pandemic. If there is a shortage, some districts say they will have other staff members, like librarians, to fill those roles.
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