As the 2020-21 school year has continued, one issue has come up among staff: a lack of substitute teachers. In a school system, substitutes are needed in classrooms whenever a teacher cannot make it to school. Due to COVID-19, there is an increased demand for substitutes, but a decrease in the amount available. 

“We are always looking to hire more substitute teachers, but this year has been especially difficult. Several subs have decided to stay home this semester because they want to minimize the amount of people they are in contact with,” Jackie Huppenthal, Main Office, said. 

This lack of subs has the ability to add more stress to other staff members. With coronavirus it is not unusual to hear of teachers getting quarantined or having to stay home while waiting for coronavirus test results. Even though these circumstances make taking days off of school necessary, teachers still feel bad about taking days off. 

“Most teachers feel bad about taking off because they know we will have a hard time covering them. Even if teachers are teaching remotely we need to put a sub in their room to supervise the students, set up the smart board, make sure everyone has a chrome book and pass out materials, ect..,” Huppenthal said. 

There are 150 teachers and 9 substitutes available on any given day. Extra subs are called in if needed, but if there are none available other teachers will help cover a class during their planning period. Though this shortage is an issue, the staff here at Lake Central are working on solving it.