The Regional Office of Education (ROE) for McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties has scheduled a series of substitute teacher fairs, allowing those who are interested to become an authorized sub in just one day.
ROE has held nine sub fairs since 2018 to help combat the substitute teacher shortage that is widespread across central Illinois.
A fall 2022 Educator Shortage Survey done by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools shows that 79% of school districts indicated that they had a shortage of teachers.
Assistant Regional Superintendent Molly Allen said teachers and administrators in schools served by ROE #17 have been making up for the lack of substitutes by giving up their planning and prep periods to help out where teachers and instructors are needed.
“We have teachers who are being asked to sacrifice their planning period to cover for someone else,” Allen said. “Our educators do a really great job of pitching in and helping each other, but as that builds over time, that’s difficult for everyone involved because it takes away from their planning time and then they have to plan during other times as well.”
The addition of sub fairs has helped increase applicants, but not enough to fulfill the shortage that dozens of schools are facing, Allen said.
“I do think we have seen an increase in applicants, we are confident in our office that we have more people applying to be substitute teachers, but frankly it’s still not quite enough,” Allen said.
Allen emphasized that the schools take an “all hands on deck” approach when it comes to filling in for substitutes, whether that is helping the children learn or working behind the scenes and creating coverage schedules.
“A lot of that work is probably invisible to the community because our schools are always putting kids first so they just do it,” Allen said.
The substitute teacher signups are scheduled for:
- Aug. 30: 1-3 pm.; Eagle Theater; 319 N. Plum St.; Pontiac
- Aug. 31: 1-3 p.m. Lincoln Park District; 1400 Primm Road, Lincoln
- Sept. 6: 4-6 p.m.; ROE, 201 E. Grove St., Suite 300, Bloomington
- Sept. 19: 9-11 a.m.; Clinton District Unit office; 1210 State Rt. 54 West
Allen said the office may scheduled a follow substitute teacher fair next spring.
