‘Sub for Sub’ program aims to hire more teachers

(ABC 6 News) – No matter where you look, there are staffing shortages. The demand for teachers is high, especially for substitute teachers.

One school district in our area is looking to fill those jobs with the help of a program aiming to bring jobs to school.

Stewartville Public Schools in collaboration with a company called Teachers on Call, hosted an event this week called ‘Sub for Sub.’

11 people participated in the program and all they had to do was pay $100 for a processing fee to obtain their short call substitute license.

To become a substitute teacher in Minnesota, you need to get a short call substitute license. You must have a bachelor’s degree.

The license is valid for three years. Principal Jeff Johnson at Bear Cave Intermediate School says this program will help bring more substitute teachers into the district.

"The district just saw a need for finding a way to get creative to support the teachers and staff and especially our students. It’s been a challenge to fill sub positions when teachers are out and as you know, with the pandemic that we’re currently engulfed in, we wanted to make sure that we’re doing as much as possible to get people in the building," Principal Johnson said.

Principal Johnson says if a substitute teacher teaches 10 times in the district they will be reimbursed the $100 they paid for to obtain the short call sub license.