Plano School Board adopts new state plan for hiring substitute teachers

The Plano School District 88 Board of Education adopted a new state plan governing the hiring of substitute teachers during a recent meeting.

Superintendent Tony Baker said two agencies have offered to provide training that is required to receive a short-term substitute teacher license in accord with legislation adopted by the state last July.

Baker said the training is being provided for $25 per applicant by the Grundy-Kendall Regional Office of Education and the Professional Development Alliance in Joliet.

The training must be completed prior to teaching on the license, Baker added.

According to the agreement, a short-term substitute teacher must hold an associate’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or show completion of 60 semester hours of college course work.

The person must complete a training program provided by the school board or Regional Office of Education prior to teaching on the license, the agreement says.

These applicants cannot serve as a paraprofessional on the short-term license, but it is valid for teaching in all grades of public schools, from pre-kindergarten through grade 12, the agreement says.

Baker said the applicants go through the same criminal background check to be sure they are adequately approved to be in a school.

School Board President Tim Campbell asked if this agreement makes Plano competitive with other school districts.

Responding, Baker said it will make Plano competitive.

Baker said finding substitute teachers and bus drivers are two areas the district is always working to fill.

“I think every administrator will agree that every morning we start our day trying the game plan on how we’re filling gaps,” he said.

Board President Tim Campbell asked if the situation was the same every day.

Kathy Benoit, administrative assistant to the superintendent, said the number of subs needed on an average day can be about 10, depending on professional development activities, coaching obligations, illness of a teacher or their children, and other reasons.

James Seput, Plano High School principal, said Mondays and Fridays are the days they need the most subs.

Benoit agreed, noting that they often need five or more additional subs on Mondays and Fridays compared to other days of the week, depending on school activities.

“Oftentimes professional development opportunities are scheduled on Monday and Friday, which is out of the control of our teachers and participants,” Benoit said.

Plano has about 170 full-time teachers.

Substitute teachers in Plano make $100 a day, but when they reach 60 days during the year, their pay goes to $120 for the remainder of the year.

Long-term subs, working 20 or more consecutive days in the district, are paid $175 per day, she said.

A regular substitute license does not have this stipulation. Benoit said a person holding a regular substitute license may teach an unlimited amount of days in a school year, but if they are subbing for one teacher they are limited to 90 days for the year.

She said there also is a short-term substitute license, but it will not allow the substitute teacher to teach more than five consecutive days.

Benoit could not say how much the district budgets for or spends each year on subs.