Substitute teachers are harder to find in some Chittenden County schools than others

Substitute teachers are harder to find in some Chittenden County schools than others

COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) - Finding substitute teachers became much harder during the COVID-19 pandemic for many Vermont schools.

The Vermont Agency of Education said there were 1,200 open positions, including substitutes, across the state at the start of the 2022-23 school year.

The pool of substitutes is larger now, but some schools in Chittenden County still struggle to find enough classroom coverage.

South Burlington, Essex Westford and Champlain Valley school districts are not experiencing a substitute shortage, but Winooski, Burlington and Colchester said they’re still struggling and it’s straining school resources.

Part-time substitute Lilly Niemi-Moskowitz is helping to fill the gap in Colchester. Working as a substitute meant getting hands-on work experience.

“I kind of knew that it was going to be awhile until I got into a classroom for my degree and something that really struck my nerves was, oh my gosh, I’m not going to know how to be in a classroom,” Niemi-Moskowitz said.

As a junior studying music education at the University of Vermont, Niemi-Moskowitz realized her education wouldn’t put her in a classroom until her senior year and that would be as a co-teacher.

“Getting to actively be in a classroom and practice all the skills I am learning in my degree is really helpful. And the kids are awesome,” Niemi-Moskowitz said.

The UVM student has noticed the substitute shortage firsthand, being asked to step in so a full-time teacher can take a lunch break.

“I have been asked to cover an extra 20 minutes or something. It wasn’t taking away from my lunch but it might shorten it or shorten a planning period,” Niemi-Moskowitz said.

When substitutes like Niemi-Moskowitz are not available, Colchester school staff have to find other ways to fill the gap. There is a pool of substitutes to pull from but if nobody is available, staff have to pull from other areas.

“We call it the sub shuffle every morning, trying to figure out who needs to be covered and what we can move around. We’re on the phone calling and trying to get people here,” Union Memorial School principal Colleen Birner said.

The South Burlington school district is in a much better position this year compared to last. In the past week, they had 390 absences across their five public schools. District officials said 315 of those were filled by substitutes, leaving 75 unfilled.

Colchester is implementing a new software to bring more subs into the district and keep scheduling centralized.

“I think the hope is that we can share that so when there’s not a vacancy here but somewhere else, a person who traditionally subbed at Union Memorial can sub somewhere else and support that vacancy,” Birner said.

Niemi-Moskowitz believes people are hesitant to work in schools following the pandemic. “People are nervous that the kids in school right now are completely out of control and won’t listen to you and just can’t function in a classroom setting and that it’s absolute chaos which is quite frankly not true,” Niemi-Moskowitz said.

Colchester district staff said they are always looking to expand their pool of available substitutes and encourage Vermonters to consider applying.

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