LANSING, Michigan (WILX) – As COVID cases in Michigan schools continue to rise, the need for substitute teachers will increase.
A mid-Michigan district makes a tempting offer for more help, and a replacement teacher 40 minutes away might be worth the drive.
December 8, 2021: Coronavirus report: Michigan reports 15,385 new cases, 351 deaths in the last two days
“It’s Dwight Rich, Gardiner, and Everett High School – these are the three that we’re offering at $ 300 daily,” said Suzy Corbin, human resources director for the Lansing School District.
This is not a typo. It’s $ 300 a day to replace Lansing’s three largest schools. For other schools in the Lansing School District, they offer $ 200 per day. The incentive is that schools are facing a major shortage of staff.
“Our most populous schools had many uncovered classrooms. So when we changed the rate for these three schools, we saw a lot more coverage, ”said Corbin. “Now we’re getting one or two open classrooms instead of five or six – or on some days even more.”
Lansing School Board Vice President Rachel Willis said she hoped the great need for replacement teachers would be temporarily resolved until they can find qualified and willing full-time teachers.
“The education industry, and certainly the Lansing School District, are not exempt from the staffing crisis,” said Willis. “We want to have passionate people in front of our children every day. So we really want to create incentives for people to come into work and support our children until we can fill these positions with full-time teachers. “
Rebecca Wert is a substitute teacher in Jackson County. She said a lot of people shy away from the job because many schools don’t offer much support, but with a $ 300 paycheck it might be worth commuting to Lansing.
“Some schools are better at supporting and helping their subs when there are students who are causing problems,” Wert said. “It would be a little more driving for me, but it’s about double what I make in Jackson now. So it’s a big consideration that I’ve been thinking of. “
The Lansing School District has reached out to retired teachers to fill the void while they find more full-time help.
It’s not the only district raising salaries to get replacement teachers – the Waverly Community Schools District is increasing its daily replacement teacher wage from $ 105 to $ 150. The Grand Ledge Public Schools made the same increase, and the DeWitt Public Schools went from $ 90 to $ 100 a day.
A full listing of all Lansing School District job vacancies can be found here.
Related: How Could Schools Benefit From the Build Back Better Act?
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