By Eric Stock

NORMAL – Unit 5 is considering increasing pay for substitute teachers as one way to address that growing need.

A recent statewide surveys showed schools haven’t been able to fill about one 1 in 6 teachers absences. Superintendent Mark Daniel told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin when that happens, the quality of their students’ education suffers.

PODCAST: Listen to Scott’s interview with Daniel on WJBC.

“We have to sometimes shift some teachers that may be in other areas, but then that means they might not be with their students all day usually those will be in our special areas,” Daniel said. “It’s one of those things were it definitely stretches the system and it reduces the quality of our education.”

Unit 5 and District 87 pay substitutes $80 per a day, retired teachers get $100.

A new state law reduced the fee to register as a sub by $50, but Daniel would like to see schools make it easier for substitutes to get certified.

Buses

Daniel said the district’s transportation company has added a satisfactory number of drivers to avoid the kind of delays that plagued the first few months of the school year.

“We had a couple of buses that were running late (last week), but that’s out of 122 morning routes and afternoon routes and you are transporting about 9,500 students in the morning and 9,500 in the afternoon,” Daniel said. “I can live with that.”

Superintendent Mark Daniel tells WJBC’s Scott Laughlin First Student has 144 drivers, which is an 18 percent reserve. The district had stipulated the company have a 20 percent surplus of drivers by late November to keep its contract after this year.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].