How To Become A Substitute Teacher In Michigan
Substitute teachers are an important part of the education system. They help to ensure that students get the most out of their time in school, even when they have a substitute teacher. If you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher in Michigan, here’s what you need to know.
Requirements:
In order to become a substitute teacher in Michigan, you must have an associate’s degree or higher from an accredited institution. You will also need to be at least 18 years old and have passed a criminal background check. This includes fingerprinting and a personal interview with the school district.
Application Process:
Once you’ve met all of these requirements, it’s time to apply! To apply as a substitute teacher in Michigan, submit an application for employment with your local school district. If there is not currently any open positions available in your area, do not worry! You can still be placed on the waiting list so that when one does become available, you will be contacted immediately by email or phone call (depending on what information was provided). Once you receive confirmation from the school district that they would like to interview you for one.
How To Become A Substitute Teacher In Michigan
“There is a very broad-based perception that there is an acute shortage of substitutes and the problem appears to be getting worse,” said Nathan Burroughs, an MSU researcher and one of the authors of the survey findings.
That same survey found that almost two-thirds of traditional school districts (64 percent) that responded to the survey have classrooms for which they can’t find substitute teachers at least “several times a week.”
When that happens, schools must scramble to fill those classrooms with existing staff – typically with teachers who give up their planning periods (a time when they plan lessons and grade papers) and school administrators, creating a ripple effect throughout the building.
How often that happens is on the rise. Since the 2015-16 school year, the “fill rate” for substitute teachers (the percent of the time schools can find a substitute to fill a teacher absence) has dropped from 93 percent to 86 percent, according to data released to the House Fiscal Agency by EduStaff, the largest school staffing company operating in the state. About 450 districts and charters fill substitute teaching positions through EduStaff.
“If a teacher is ill and you can’t find a qualified substitute, learning is going to be impacted,” said Dave Campbell, superintendent of Kalamazoo Intermediate School District.
The survey, which included responses from 177 traditional school districts, representing 42 percent of the state’s students, was released two weeks after a Bridge Magazine investigation into a growing use of long-term substitutes to lead Michigan classrooms. The use of long-term substitutes – who need only 60 college credits (the equivalent of an associate’s degree) rather than the four-year degree required of certified teachers – has grown 10-fold in the past five years.
The shortage of short-term substitutes revealed in the MSU survey and the increased use of long-term substitutes both are at least partially a result of a growing teacher shortage in some parts of the state and in some subject areas.
A decade ago, schools seldom had trouble finding substitute teachers, and generally those substitutes were certified teachers who were either retired or recently graduated from college and still looking for a full-time post, said Ernest Tisdale, Michigan director for Edustaff.
“Now, everything has switched,” Tisdale said. “There’s a teacher shortage (and) my pool (of available substitutes) is individuals who aren’t necessarily interested in education or have an education background. Eighty perent of my sub pool are individuals who are working to subsidize their income and more money-oriented than anything.”
More articles on long-term substitutes:
- Michigan leans on long-term substitutes as its schools struggle
- Expert: Michigan’s reliance on long-term subs should ‘concern all of us’
- How a wedding planner became an uncertified Michigan teacher for $15 an hour
- Alarmed by long-term subs, Detroit raised teacher pay and offered bonuses
- Michigan school leaders decry explosion of untrained teachers in classrooms
For people looking to make a few bucks, there are places they can make more money today in an era of low-unemployment rates, said Kalamazoo’s Campbell.
Substitute teacher pay in Michigan is typically $80 to $85 a day – the equivalent of about $11 to $12 an hour.
“We just don’t pay substitute teachers much,” Campbell said. “Any time the economy is good, we have trouble finding paraprofessionals, bus drivers, substitute teachers, because you can make more at Costco.”
Edustaff’s Tisdale said the short- and long-term substitute teacher shortage is primarily in urban and rural areas today, but, “if we continue the same trend we’re on, there’s going to be a bigger need and it’ll start to happen in the suburban districts.”
Related: Michigan desperate for Pre-K educators. And pays them poverty wages.
To try to address the shortage, the Michigan Legislature in 2018 lowered the threshold to qualify to be a substitute teacher from 90 college credits to 60 credits, and loosened rules that made it difficult for retired teachers to work as substitutes without endangering their pensions.
Survey results of school administrators however don’t indicate the substitute shortage has improved.
According to the survey:
- 85 percent of school districts have classrooms in need of a substitute teacher that can’t be filled at least once a week.
- 67 percent report a growing need for substitutes, and 37 percent have a “much greater need” than in the past.
- 86 percent report a reduced supply of substitutes.
