You may have noticed that, since we returned to school from the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shortage of substitute teachers. School districts in California have struggled to find available substitutes, and San Juan Unified is no exception.

The shortage comes even amid efforts to attract new substitute teachers and lessen the requirements for being hired.

At Rio, regular teachers often have to cover classes during their prep periods when there aren’t enough substitutes to fill in, principal Cliff Kelly’s secretary Rosanna Millan said. It happens at least once a week, especially when a teacher has an emergency, and more frequently on Mondays, Fridays and before school breaks.

But it is more common at elementary and middle schools, according to Millan.

The relatively low pay stands out as one of the main reasons for the shortage, as substitute teachers are paid far less than full-time teachers. Substitutes in San Juan Unified make $200 a day, less than in Sacramento City Unified.

The job can come with a lot of uncertainty.

“I think some people are scared to do it because you don’t really know what you are going into every single day in terms of the classes,” said substitute teacher Matthew Jacobs, who frequently works at Rio. “I also think that being a full-time teacher just pays better.”

Additionally, substitute teachers don’t qualify for the same benefits as full-time teachers, so they don’t receive health insurance, dental insurance or a pension.

There is also a perceived lack of respect from students, especially for new substitute teachers.

For example, a Rio student walked out of a classroom with a substitute teacher after the substitute warned the student to stop using their phone, according to Sara, a Rio student who witnessed the incident.

But it isn’t all bad. Substitute teachers say they enjoy the flexibility of the job and visiting different schools.

“It is interesting because you get to meet a lot of different students from a bunch of different schools, and you get to see how different schools do things and how the student body is different which is really nice,” Jacobs said.