If you’ve heard about the need for substitute teachers in Central Oregon and want to take on a substitute teaching job, the training process may be easier than you think.
“We’re always excited to have as many subs available as possible,” said Sheila Miller, the Public Information Officer for the Redmond School District.
The High Desert Education Service District places substitute teachers for every school district in the region
“We need about 60 to 70 subs a day,” said Jayel Hayden, the Director of Human Resources at High Desert Education Service District, “When I say that, I’m thinking about Bend La Pine, our largest school district. So we’re really closer to about 100 subs a day.”
For example, at Redmond High School this past week, 142 class periods needed substitutes due to COVID and other factors.
Due to a lack of staffing, only 56 class periods were covered by substitute teachers.
86 periods were covered by Redmond High teachers on top of their own classes.
▶️ Bend-La Pine Schools scrambles for subs to avoid return to remote learning
“They’re working so hard and they’re giving up their prep periods to make sure that students stay in their in-person learning,” Miller said, “We could not do that without the extra work that these staff members and teachers are doing.”
The HDESD is trying to fill that gap by letting people know just how easy it is for someone with a Bachelor’s degree, or someone that already has a teaching license, to make some extra income as a substitute teacher.
“It’s really that desire to be with kids and work with kids. One of the things that we like to see is subs that have good classroom management,” Hayden said.
If you have a teaching license, applying and scheduling an orientation is all that’s needed.
If you have a bachelor’s degree, you need to…
- Fill out the HDESD application to be a substitute teacher.
- Apply for a restricted substitute license with the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission.
- Send an email to HDESD (kristen.johns@hdesd.org) confirming you applied for the license to schedule an orientation.
The license processing takes up to 60 days.
While there’s an immediate need for subs…it won’t go away after COVID.
“It’s never going to be zero. People have reasons why they can’t come to work all the time,” Miller said.
