Schools
Oregon Teacher Shortage Prompts State To Ease Substitute Rules
With a dwindling pool of substitute teachers across Oregon, the state made it easier for people to become a substitute.
OREGON CITY — Oregon's Teacher Standards and Practice Commission made it easier for people to become substitute teachers. The move comes as the state faces a major shortage of substitute teachers.
In less than two years, the number of substitute teachers in Oregon has dropped to about 4,700 from more than 8,300.
Under the emergency order, the only qualifications to become a substitute are: a person has to be at least 18 years old and must undergo a background check.
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Previously, substitute teachers had to have a college degree.
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Districts will be required to pay for the subs and provide them with supervisors who will mentor them and monitor their performance.
Portland Public School, which used around 60 substitutes a day, has seen its sub pool drop to 528 from 800.
The state says that the subs will be limited to teaching in the district where they receive their emergency license. The licenses will only be good for one year.
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