Lessons learned in substitute teaching crisis

Ihave been a math tutor in Santa Fe schools for 10 years. About five years ago, I helped a teacher at a local elementary school with an after-school math club.

After the first year, the teacher left the system, but I wanted to continue the club. Volunteers cannot be alone with students, so I decided to get licensed as a substitute teacher.

Getting the license to sub requires the exact same security check as a volunteer. The only difference is that subs need to prove they have graduated high school. Seriously. Despite the low bar, it took more than four months for the human resources department of Santa Fe Public Schools to give me approval.

I continued to hold my math club as a volunteer for another year. There are a minimum number of hours required to remain in the system. I was working as a volunteer, so I was not billing any hours. Eventually, HR contacted me and asked whether I intended to work the required hours. I explained exactly what I was doing, why I needed the sub license and asked to remain on the rolls. They fired me. They killed my math club.

My first question was: What does it cost SFPS to keep subs on the books as long as they pay their relicensing fee? In emergency situations like the one they face now, I would be willing to pitch in, but getting back into the queue to get the substitute license in no way interests me.

Now I am a math tutor at a charter school. Seeing in the news how the governor has stepped up to substitute, I have three more questions:

◆ How long did the governor wait to get her substitute teaching license?

◆ Will she be fired if she doesn’t work the required hours?

◆ What’s the point, governor?

The lesson is that you treat people badly for years, then you’re shocked when they don’t want to work for you anymore. So you call in the National Guard.

Robert Kirby is a retired engineer living in Santa Fe.