An ongoing issue in District 205, as well as the rest of the state, is the issue of a shortage in substitute teachers.
School board members discussed this issue last month, but ultimately requested more information from the Jon Bradburn, the district’s Director of Human Resources.
Several ideas were discussed last month, with many of them brought back up during discussion Monday night.
One fresh idea that was brought up was the idea of incentives a teacher to not use a sick day, but instead to come to work – eliminating the need for increasing the substitute pool.
Board member Wayne Statham spoke out against the issue.
“I disagree with the need for incentivizing teachers to show up to work,” Statham says. “We pay teachers a salary and we trust them not to abuse their sick days period. We decided how many sick days they’re entitled to and we decide the salary, that’s the deal in the contract, that’s what we go with.”
The school board also discussed helping retired teachers keep up with their certifications to keep them in the pool of substitutes, and providing a wellness program for the families of faculty.
