Selma City Schools offering pay incentives to recruit substitutes

From the West Alabama Newsroom–

School districts everywhere have been dealing with the ongoing teacher shortage for several years. And now they’re having trouble — finding substitute teachers as well.

So now one school district is taking a proactive approach to the problem.

The Selma City School District is offering major incentives — to try and recruit substitutes of all kinds.

“Right now we are definitely trying to address our substitute shortage,” said Superintendent Dr. Zickeyous Byrd.

“We’re also hiring substitute bus drivers, we’re hiring substitute nurses, substitute security guards, substitute custodians. And so again, every position that we have in Selma City Schools is important and we need a substitute to fill in if that person is available.”

Byrd says certified substitute teachers can earn up to $150 a day.

“Right now I think that we’re one of the highest paying districts in the Black Belt.”

But that’s not the only pay incentive the district has put in place to attract more subs.

“If you are hired as a substitute, you actually get a check every week,” Byrd said.

“One of the huge issues for our subs was that they didn’t like the fact that they had to wait a month on their pay.”

Last month — the school district held a substitute hiring fair — that Byrd says was highly successful.

“On that one day we were able to recruit about 40 new applicants,” he said.

“As a matter of fact, we were also able to hire some permanent teachers. All of this is being geared towards addressing the huge need for subs that we have in our district.”

The Selma City School District is planning to have another substitute hiring fair next month.