Letter: Make it easier for retired teachers to be substitutes

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

As a 27-year teacher with the Clark County School District and parent of two children who have attended Clark County schools, I am alarmed every time a classroom teacher is absent and a substitute is not provided by our school district.

Ask any parent, teacher or school staff about this issue and chances are they are deeply concerned and frustrated. This situation has steadily grown over the past few years to a point where it is repeated hundreds of times daily within our school district. Those of us working in the schools are told there are not enough substitutes available each day.

As a result, hundreds of our children's classrooms and their schools scramble daily trying to cover classrooms without teachers. Many times this means special programs are shut down for the day, classes are split up, students are put into other classes or a parade of different school personnel take turns covering a class.

As this situation grows, so do the challenges having the potential of compromising our children's education. Perhaps, one idea might be for our district leaders and policy makers to simplify hiring procedures for retired teachers in order to provide a large enough substitute pool to meet the needs of our current situation. Our children deserve no less.

This may not be the entire solution to this problem, but it would be a good start.

BART BOULTON