By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Staff shortages in the educational world are one thing. Then flu season hits. Having an adequate number of substitute teachers on deck is important to fill those absences in the classroom. During Monday's USD 428 Board of Education meeting, Assistant Superintendent John Popp said the Great Bend district barely got by on Monday.
"On average, we can fill 28-30 substitute positions a day," he said. "If we get over that many absences, we're having to fill internally. There are days when we pull in 35 substitutes. Today, we had just over 40 absences and we had 11 uncovered."
The board discussed a new modified emergency substitute policy. Whereas emergency substitutes need 60 semester credit hours from a regionally accredited college or university to work, modified emergency substitutes need only a high school diploma and a few other considerations. Superintendent Khris Thexton said the district already utilizes 10 substitutes that meet this standard.
"Of those 10, seven of them are teacher's assistants and paras," he said. "They have qualified under this modified substitute license so they can fill in and get the pay of a substitute for that day."
All substitute applicants must also pass a fingerprint background check that carries a $50 fee and pay a $60 application processing fee. Modified emergency substitutes must also complete Greenbush's Emergency Substitute Training Modules. The modified license is nontransferable and limited to the local school district on the license. An educator can apply for multiple districts if each district submits an expanded emergency substitute qualification form.
For more information about the modified emergency substitute requirements, contact the USD 428 office at (620) 793-1500.