Caroline Vincent, Executive Editor
@cvincentcourant
The Department of Human Resources is on a campaign for substitute teachers. Although finding good, reliable substitute teachers has always been a challenge, the complexity of the issue has broadened with the pandemic, based on a variety of factors.
Substitute teachers are a dire need, according to Darlene Pianka, the Director of Human Resources who is leading the campaign. “We are at less than half of our normal capacity,” Ms. Pianka said. “There used to be between 100-120 [substitute teachers]. Right now there are about 40 [substitute teachers]. We use all 40 a day.”
As a response, NCPS has taken a more active role in campaigning for substitute teachers. “We have stepped up our advertising and the message we are sending out to the community in terms of this need,” Ms. Pianka said. The message being put out on social media, local newspapers, and the NCPS website is that NCPS is looking for dynamic and passionate substitute teachers to join the team and support the excellence of students, staff, and faculty. “It is important that our staff feel supported and given the resources that they need in order to be successful,” Ms. Pianka said. “It’s really hard when they are worrying that [if they are absent, there won’t be a substitute]. We don’t want this to be the case; we don’t want to make it harder.”
Ms. Pianka is hoping that the message reaches people in the New Canaan community who have time and capacity to help out the school district. “We are looking for parents who happen to be home right now and have been thinking about the possibility of going back into teaching. We need these people to help us out at least during these times, if not indefinitely, because we can always use good substitutes,” Ms. Pianka said.
There is also now an option for college students to be substitute teachers. In 2020, the Connecticut State Department of Education implemented flexible staffing under which substitute authorization can now be granted to individuals who are at least 18 years old, have a high school diploma (or equivalent), and experience with school-age children. These individuals will be temporarily authorized to serve as substitutes for not more than 40 days in one position.
NCPS is open to having college students serve as substitute teachers, in accordance with flexible staffing. “If schools were changing what the substitute assignment is everyday, we could technically use college students who don’t have class on Friday or don’t have class till 4pm and could work from 7am to 2:30pm,” Ms. Pianka said. “It opens up a whole other pool.”
Ms. Pianka is hopeful that New Canaan parents will help, as they are most familiar with NCPS. “Our parents are the best parents on the planet,” she said. “They are kind, generous, involved in our schools, and know our schools.”
Ms. Pianka wants applicants to know that they would be working for the best school district in Connecticut. “Anyone who knows anything about NCPS knows the quality of the program, the quality of the staff, and the culture in our school buildings,” she said. “This is a really wonderful place to work.”
Going into the winter months, Mrs. Pianka is putting a sense of urgency out to the New Canaan community. “I have the concern that people may be ill (during the winter months) and we need to have more people in our buildings that we know will do a good job,” Mrs. Pianka said.
The Department of Human Resources meets regularly to review the number and quality of applicants. Anyone interested in applying to be a substitute may visit the NCPS website. On the bottom left of the main page is a flyer that will have a link attached to it for an application.
