Schools struggle to fill teacher positions, find subs
STAMFORD — At Westhill High School, the biggest school in Stamford, 35 instructors are teaching an extra class this year, due to shortages of substitutes, difficulty filling vacancies and the challenge of filling classes offered to students in the Distance Learning Academy.
That’s roughly one-fifth of all teachers in the building, and Westhill isn’t the only school struggling to plug holes.
Teachers at Stamford High School and the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering are also doing the same, as are a handful at the middle school level.
In all, about 80 teachers in Stamford are teaching an extra course this year. Seventeen of those teachers can be paid for the extra class through existing funds due to positions that remain vacant.
Funding to compensate the other teachers, whose extra work equated to for 13.4 FTEs, or full-time equivalent positions, will come partly from funding for 7.5 contingency positions put into the operating budget this year.
On Tuesday, members of the Labor Subcommittee of the Stamford Board of Education, voted to fund the remaining 5.9 FTEs, mostly through funding from the state Coronavirus Relief Fund and the federal CARES Act.
While no dollar amount was given for how much would be used to cover the 5.9 FTEs, schools spokeswoman Sharon Beadle said the estimate cost is about $500,000.
Christopher Soules, the interim director of human resources for Stamford schools, said positions in math, science and special education have been difficult to fill due to a lack of qualified candidates.
There are currently 18 vacant positions in the district, including three science positions, three math jobs and two special education roles.
Soules said getting substitute teachers this year has been a challenge not just for Stamford, but statewide.
As of Oct. 1, there were 240 potential substitutes in the school system, he said. Of those, 96 accepted assignments for this school year.
Of the remaining 144 substitutes, 28 resigned, 25 said they would be interested in receiving assignments, and 91 offered no response to inquiries, Soules said.
The fill rate, which is the percentage of openings filled by substitutes, has been in the 40 percent range, which Soules described as “not great.”
Board of Education member Becky Hamman said one of the factors leading to the low fill rate could be neighboring communities paying more for substitutes.
“When you have competing factors, it makes it twice as hard,” she said.
Board member Jackie Heftman asked if teachers covering open classes are certified in the courses they are teaching.
Amy Beldotti, associate superintendent for teaching and learning, said most are, but not all.
Those not certified to teach a specific course can still do so, but no longer than 40 days, she said. After that, she said the requirement from the state is that the district find someone certified to teach the class.
There are instances in which some students just don’t have a teacher. In those cases, Beldotti said, the students can take the course through Edgenuity, an online education platform being offered and used extensively in the district this year to make up for shortages.
Most work on the platform is done from home, but in two instances, she said, students are taking a course in classrooms through Edgenuity with a substitute in the class.
Board member Jackie Pioli asked if technology could be the solution to some of the issues. Livestreaming of classes, for example, could allow teachers to reach more students at home either in the hybrid or distance learning academy, potentially creating less need for additional teachers.
“We have not considered that as an option,” Beldotti said.
She added that giving teachers more students could create contractual issues, and those teachers would need to be compensated for taking on more students.
Superintendent Tamu Lucero said one of the challenges for Stamford is that the district does not begin hiring until late in the season, after the school budget has been approved. Some other school systems in the region begin hiring earlier.
She suggested the district adopt a new strategy, which would include posting jobs and hiring before the budget is finalized.
“We put ourselves at a deficit because … in some cases we weren’t able to start hiring until almost August because of when we finished our budget process,” she said.
She added, “We have neighboring school districts that have posted their world language positions now for next year and I think we need to start thinking about that.” Heftman agreed.
“I think it’s a very good suggestion, especially when you know you’re going to have openings and even if you don’t, you know you have shortage areas.”
Lucero said such a strategy could help prevent the type of shortages the district is experiencing now.
“I would rather err of the side of having one too many teachers than the situation we’re in right now,” she said.
She said she would concoct a proposal and bring it to the board next month.
Lucero said the district is also looking into increasing rates for substitute teachers, something that could happen as early as this year.