Tag Archives: Substitute Teachers

When snow or ice strike this winter, local school systems have a new tool, implementing virtual days in place of snow days. Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King said the state put the new policy in place last year. King said the virtual days are helpful because they can be used for a single school or grade level, not ... Read More »

Upper Cumberland School Districts seeing more success in keeping substitute teachers on their roster. Putnam County Schools Communication Director Hannah Davis said while they always need more, their concern about having enough have lessened as applications have increased. She said they attribute that to putting more effort into supporting current subs in hopes of learning how to attract and retain ... Read More »

Clay County Schools will host a substitute teacher training session for interested teachers on Friday, October 15th. Part-time teacher Phyliss Boyce said that the training is the first step towards becoming a substitute teacher in the school system. She said that they cover everything from safety to learning the administration at each school. “So we need people who are really ... Read More »

While the number of students contracting COVID is higher than last school year, Director of Schools Corby King said staffing remains the main issue. King said certified teachers are in place, but getting substitute teachers to come in is causing problems. “When you look at the districts who have closed so far, it’s due to a lack of staffing,” King ... Read More »

The need for substitute teachers has stabilized in Putnam County after shortages during last school year. Putnam County Schools HR Director Angie Knight said the substitute teacher pool currently sits at roughly 270. Knight said there will still be challenges keeping the pool at the ideal number with expected drop outs. “We sent them a notice at the end of ... Read More »

A substitute teacher shortage has forced Dekalb County High School to stop in-person learning through December 11. Dekalb County School Director Patrick Cripps said he’s dealing with 1/4 to 1/3 of his staff being out, with quarantine numbers in the double digits at just one school. Cripps said this was his fear going into Thanksgiving break. “Starting Friday, actually Thursday ... Read More »

School systems around the Upper Cumberland are experiencing substitute teacher shortages because of the pandemic. Tennessee Tech University Associate Dean for the College of Education Julie Baker said education majors are good candidates to fill these roles, and they encourage students to do so. Baker said the goal is for students to get experience on the job and know they ... Read More »

Pickett County Director of Schools Diane Elder said technology is at the forefront of the school system’s COVID problems. “Right now, we do not have enough technology,” Elder said. “We have close to 300 Chromebooks ordered. Our estimated delivery is anywhere from the end of November until the end of February.” Elder said the classrooms are the ones lacking the ... Read More »

The Putnam County School System is still looking for substitute teachers after early school year shortages. Putnam County School’s HR Director Angie Knight said using a temp agency has helped tremendously in stabilizing substitute numbers. Knight said most days the pool is at 98 percent to 100 percent but the system is still reviewing who they have available. “We’ve been ... Read More »

Putnam County School Board voted to increase substitute pay Thursday night to try to increase those interested in serving. Putnam County Director of Schools Corby King said the system has often had difficulty recruiting substitutes. But COVID-19 will likely exacerbate the issue. “We have teachers that we know we’re going to miss, whether they have COVID themselves or a close ... Read More »