OLATHE, Kan. — Last week, the Kansas State Department of Education decided to ease the qualifications required to become a substitute teacher to help schools.
On Monday, the state said the ones stepping up for schools, applying to substitute, are working professional parents.
Mirah Nash is one of them.
“I am teaching second grade tomorrow at my kids’ school,” Nash said. “I got the teaching plans for tomorrow.”
Nash works as a full-time dental hygienist. Her kids attend Olathe schools in fifth and seventh grade, so she decided on Fridays she’d help the district out.
“I just want to do my part to help the kids stay in school,” she said.
It’s something KSDE has seen more of.
“Professionals who have a day off there or here have decided, ‘I can go and help in my community,’" said Mischel Miller, director of teacher licensure and accreditation for the State Department of Education in Kansas. “Yesterday we had 37 applicants in the office, and today we have over 100.”
Nash explained the process.
“I had to do an application fee, medical, physical release with a tuberculosis test, fingerprinting, background check, and having my transcripts sent,” she said.
Last week, Nash went through a new substitute teacher orientation. She urges others to consider applying to help reduce strain on the district so kids can stay in school.
“They need subs at any level — high school is the most needed, I heard," Nash said. "They are just desperate, I don’t know what else to say. They’ll start calling you at five in the morning, asking you for jobs. I’ve had calls as late as nine o’clock."
Miller echoes that now is the time to step up for anyone interested.
“What that does is alleviate current teaching staff who is feeling the stress, feeling pressure, who doesn’t have a substitute pool to go to the dentist or take care of a sick little one. This will alleviate that issue,” Miller said.
KSDE estimates the process will take a week to be approved before applicants could be in a classroom.
A spokesperson for the Olathe School District said they had 300 requests for substitute teachers on Thursday, and they filled all but 30 of them.
Pay for substitutes varies. In Olathe, short-term substitutes make $133 each fill-in day.
For more information on how to become an emergency substitute teacher at Olathe Public schools, click here.
