Sub numbers sinking in Lebanon

As principal of Lebanon Elementary School, Sandye Simon expects to focus on administrative duties when she arrives to work every morning.

But lately, she has been forced to take on additional responsibilities that have her back in the classroom.

With a decrease in the amount of available substitutes conspiring with an increase in ill teachers, Simon is donning her so-called teacher’s hat that many administrators have put away years ago.

Lebanon School Superintendent Robert McGray said the district has had increased difficulty finding enough substitutes this year, even requiring schools to use other staff when officials cannot get enough substitutes.

“You do your best to keep things going,” McGray said.

Simon said LES has seen weeks where it is short on substitutes as often as three days and she has to make quick decisions to solve the problem.

Some staffers, such as special education teachers, work with individual students. If those students are absent, Simon said those staff members can then be utilized as substitutes.

Sometimes, though, she just has to fill in herself, although she admitted she enjoys the chance to leave the office and return to the classroom, even if administrative duties get put on hold.

“There are things that pile up on the other end, but it’s a lot of fun,” Simon said.

Simon added she has not seen the school district face a problem with substitutes in the past.

She said it appears some substitutes left the district’s pool, possibly to pursue jobs elsewhere.

McGray, meanwhile, said the district has seen plenty of teachers absent due to the flu and other illnesses.

“This fall, it’s been a little more illness related,” McGray said.

In addition, Simon said the teachers also miss time for pregnancies and other reasons.

The problem is also magnified because substitutes have also had to turn down offers when they or a child becomes sick, both said.

When a teacher calls out sick, Lebanon, like most school districts, contacts potential substitutes in the morning to notify them of the need.

But when substitutes are unavailable, school officials are left to scramble to find replacements.

Lebanon, which pays substitutes $80 per day, budgeted $98,625 for substitutes, or roughly $550 per day for the 180 days students are in school each year.

As a result, McGray said the district has had to lower its standard for substitutes this year after the state changed its requirements.

The state had required all substitutes to have at least a bachelor’s degree and mandated districts obtain a waiver from the state Department of Education if there is trouble maintaining its pool.

The requirement changed this year, McGray said, and Lebanon changed its requirement when it began running into problems finding subs.

Because the schools no longer need a waiver, education department spokesman Thomas Murphy said the department has no way of tracking whether schools need more substitutes and he has not heard of any major issues.

McGray said the district still tries to find certified teachers as long-term substitutes, who serve in one classroom at least 10 consecutive days, because they will need to teach the class.

McGray also said the problem “peaked” at the beginning of November, although Simon said she has still had to serve as a teacher at times.

McGray said he hopes the issue will subside as the flu season dies down, but Eastern Highlands Health District Executive Director Robert Miller said history shows the potential for a third peak in a flu season.

“History tells us pandemics come in waves,” Miller said, adding the first peak for the H1N1 flu occurred in the spring, while the second one ended by early November.

He also said people become immune to a specific strain after initially contracting it, but strains can mutate enough to infect a person a second time.

Miller and McGray said other schools have seen issues with absences among students and teachers, but other local school officials said they haven’t experienced the problems Lebanon has faced.

“Fortunately, for the moment, Coventry’s need for substitutes is per expectations,” Coventry Superintendent Donna Bernard said.

Andover Elementary School Principal David Griffin credited a “cooperative effort” among teachers, staff and parents for keeping the school relatively healthy.

Hebron Superintendent Eleanor Cruz said the economy has likely helped her district, as she has seen an increase in potential substitutes looking for work.

“I think we’ve been fortunate for unfortunate reasons,” she said.

Mansfield Superintendent Frederick Baruzzi said Mansfield has also been able to maintain an “adequate number.”

It can be difficult for schools to find additional substitutes quickly if sudden need arises, as Baruzzi said the process can be “fairly lengthy.”

He said interested substitutes need to submit to a fingerprinting and background checks through EastConn, which usually only issues reports every few weeks.

“It could be a while before a substitute is used in the classroom,” he said.