Austin ISD in need of substitute teachers as COVID cases rise

Austin ISD asks community to apply to become substitute teachers

Austin ISD is now offering up to $120 a day for substitute teachers as the need for more continues to rise across Central Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas - The demand for substitute teachers is going up in school districts across Central Texas as more teachers call in sick. That demand is being experienced from Georgetown ISD all the way down to Hays CISD and practically everywhere in between.

At Austin ISD you can make up to $210 a day being a substitute.

"So right now more than anytime we are looking for substitutes to fill in for our classrooms, for our teachers, and help fill in if our teacher is quarantined or out sick," said Eduardo Villa the AISD Media Relations Specialist.

As new COVID cases continue to rise so does the need for subs. To start out the week, AISD reported 479 substitute requests, as many teachers were out due to various reasons.

While the district has a pool of people who are already qualified to substitute, not all are able to do so right now. "We are still looking for more to fill in because only about 32% in our pool are actively filling in for teachers," said Villa.

Hutto ISD experiencing school bus driver shortage due to COVID

A notification email was sent out that school buses would not roll Monday. As a result, the nearly 4,000 students who typically ride a bus had to find some other way to school.

To ease the burden AISD is having some of their central office employees step up and fill in. "Starting today we started sending out central office staff. As you know many of our professionals here at the central office have experience inside the classroom so they are able to fill in whenever we don’t have enough substitutes on any given day," Villa says.

Those who are interested can apply on the district’s website. You’ll need at least 60 college credit hours as well as pass a background check. "We are looking for individuals who might be looking to dip their feet into education as a future career or somebody who’s retired and looking to spend time and a fulfilling part-time job we’re looking for anybody who’s interested in looking for a job," said Villa.

The district said the need for substitutes was even an issue since before the pandemic, now with more teachers calling in sick they’re hopeful the community will step up.

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