It\u2019s hard to believe that PCSD students are into their third month of in-person school \u2013 that\u2019s a huge victory for kids, the district, and working families. In-person school tops our household list of things to be thankful for this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s due to hard work (and some luck) at many levels \u2013 and a group that has played an outsized role this year — substitute teachers. Subs fly under the public radar most of the time. They\u2019re not your kid’s daily teacher, and you\u2019ll often never meet one. They don\u2019t usually sign report cards and your child might not remember their name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this year more than ever, subs are critical. If a teacher isn\u2019t feeling well, or their child at the high school is quarantining, they have no choice \u2013 they can\u2019t come to work. That means subs have to step in to keep the school functioning. Many subs also work long-term jobs of 3 or more weeks, sometimes the entire school year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s news to no one that teachers are underpaid. But subs do much worse – $13-15 an hour, with no benefits. That\u2019s right, you can literally start for the same amount at Smith\u2019s. Subs receive no benefits whatsoever \u2013 but they come to work anyway, because they\u2019re parents and community members who care deeply about kids and education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So when PCSD announced that effective January 3<\/a>rd<\/a><\/sup>, the entire substitute teacher corps would no longer be employed by the district, and instead would work for a 3rd<\/sup> party temp agency called EDUStaff, based in Michigan, our reaction was disbelief. Every current<\/strong> sub must reapply for their current job, including spending hours on an online application (literally, we spoke with a sub who is on hour 3 and at step 10 of 22<\/em>) and an in-person interview \u2013 which conveniently can only be scheduled during the school day<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The district claims that they need more subs and that hiring this 3rd<\/sup> party company is a way to get them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At the Park Rag, we have a number of questions about this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you\u2019re in a hole, stop digging. Low pay, low respect, and little or no effort at recruiting\/retaining subs has indeed resulted in a shortage. Throwing the subs we have further under the bus will exacerbate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At a macro level, this may be just as bad. Making a fundamental change on the night before schools go on Thanksgiving Break is ill-timed. It feels like an action a large corporation would take when it’s trying to get away with something. It doesn’t engender trust with the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We hope that the Park City School District will reconsider this decision. If not, the substitute teacher shortage may become even worse. No one likes to feel treated like crap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n