KISD holds workshop to increase substitute teachers numbers
TEMPORARY RELIEF
By Lester Murray news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

During a substitute teacher workshop held at KISD this morning, Jerome Towns (right) greets new candidates for substituting at KISD schools. Towns is the special projects director. (far left) Danette Hedrick, student services coordinator at KISD taught part of the workshop.

The flu circulating in East Texas affects everyone, but school districts are affected in a different ways.

Jody Clements, human resource officer for KISD, said the staffing problem caused by the flu is less about teachers getting sick as it is about their children getting ill and the teacher having to stay home with the child.

A workshop for substitute teachers was held today at the KISD administration building. The class is to help get substitutes registered for the school district and prepared for the job.

"We usually have between 80 to 100 substitutes on the list at any one time," said Clements. "This is an area-wide list for all of the school districts to pool from, so you don't know from one day to the other just how many substitute teachers are available," said Clements. "On any given day, KISD has three to five substitute teachers per campus and, depending on the time of year, can go up from there."

The training is only two hours, which goes over the handbook for substitute teachers, gives a video of each campus, tells what their responsibilities are and discusses pay. After the class, each applicant is subject to a background check.

The list is computerized. If a teacher calls in sick, the principals then go to this list to get a substitute.

"A lot of times we have the staff to handle one or two absences, but when those numbers start to increase, we go to the sub list," said Clements.