El Paso County Colorado School District 49 is addressing a shortage of substitute teachers and support staff in multiple ways; one is the Parent Star program, which encourages parents to apply to become a substitute teacher or work in support positions such as a school crossing guard, cafeteria worker, clerical worker, custodian, to name a few.Staci Johnson, human resources manager, said the district experienced shortages prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and it has gotten worse since. Johnson said there could be multiple reasons for the shortages, including substitute teachers who may find they do not enjoy classroom teaching. To address these obstacles, the district has been able to offer a variety of positions and flexibility in assignments.Pay is a barrier that has been addressed by increasing the daily pay for all positions. The Parent Star Program follows the pay schedule for all substitutes.There are three tiers of pay for substitute teachers: Tier 1 is $130 per day for days worked one through 45; Tier 2 is $150 per day for days worked 46 through 90; and Tier 3 is $180 per day for 91 days plus. Support staff pay varies, according to the assignment.Johnson said that substitute teachers have to meet certain criteria ó a bachelorís degree, substitute authorization or a teacherís license. There are no education or licensing requirements for support staff substitutes.Some of the benefits of substituting are the availability of an array of assignments, workdays that align with the school year, the ability to set assignment preferences in advance and the freedom to accept or refuse offered assignments. ìParents like it because they can be in the school that their kids are in,î Johnson said. ìThe work is flexible as far as scheduling when they are available. They can be off work when kids are out of school. We have lots of opportunities to choose from.î She said that the program has been appealing for military families in the community. ìWe tend to have a lot of military spouses apply because we are a military community, and a lot of spouses want that flexibility,î she said. ìIt is a good chance for them to get that flexibility and work outside of the home.îApplications are required for all substitute positions and can be accessed, along with details about requirements, at https://www.d49.org, Human Resources Department.
