News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Fentress County School officials are looking to hire additional substitute employees for various positions across the district.
Human Resources Director Tonya French says district struggles daily to find enough substitutes almost on a daily basis.
“It’s very hard for us to get people to work around here,” French says. “Some are going to school, and some don’t choose to do that. I really don’t know why we have such a hard time, but we are in great need of substitutes here in the county.”
The Fentress County Board of Education will look to address the shortage through a substitute training event Wednesday in Jamestown.
French says upwards of 100 potential substitutes are currently employed by the district with at least 30 being called in each day.
“We have a great need because we have to fill each position daily,” French says. “We strive for those that have the degrees, but we’re a rural area and we just want good people to help work and do what’s needed.”
French encourages anyone in Fentress County interested in helping the district and the students to attend Wednesday’s training session.
“Just come and listen. We’ve got teachers actually training them that day [and] we have instructional coaches to help them with any of the extra stuff we do,” French says. “There’s a lot of information in one day and some people get overwhelmed with that. But we’re there if they have questions. We want to help them do the best they can do when they go into the classroom.”
The training session will take place at the Educational Services Building on North Main Street beginning at 8 a.m. through 3 p.m. Registration for the class ends Tuesday, Dec. 11.
The district will provide resources for the session with attendees needing to bring a copy of their high school diploma or GED, drivers license, and social security card.
