Why can't schools find enough teachers and substitutes?
Low, stagnant pay that lags far behind standard retail wages and a complete lack of administrative support for behavior issues make schools unable to attract or retain staff. Because districts cannot fill open positions, they are forced to pull existing teachers from their free periods to cover classes.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Pulling regular teachers from their free planning periods to cover uncovered classes
- 2Offering temporary extra pay or bonuses for covering multiple classes
- 3Relying on retired teachers who do not depend on the low income
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My school cant find subs, I guess "no one wants to work*"”source ↗
“It's causing teachers to get pulled from their free periods. Some agree, some refuse.”source ↗
“Theyve paid the same rate in my district for about 10 years, at least. It's gone from "decent money" to less than Home Depot”source ↗
“Districts that paid well and supported subs always had their available spots booked up. Districts that paid poorly tended to not support subs regarding behavior issues, parking accommodations, and even just having sub plans.”source ↗
“My district pays subs $125 for a full day. The only people willing to do this are retired teachers that don’t actually need the money but want to stay involved.”source ↗
“It would take magical powers to just have every position filled with able people, period lmao.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8How do I choose a school for my young child?
- 2How to transition from teaching older students to elementary school
- 9How to get local students for a new business?
- 2How to handle an overinvolved co-teacher who crosses boundaries
- 5Why do hiring managers reject qualified candidates over superficial things?
- 3How do teachers move to another state without losing pay and benefits?