Tough job market drives more to substitute teach
| Saturday, Nov 21 2009 08:40 PM
Last Updated Saturday, Nov 21 2009 08:46 PM
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Felix Adamo / The Californian Joel Greenhaw was working as a substitute teacher at Edison Middle School when this portrait was taken.
Paul Sabovich was having no luck finding a job after graduating from Cal State Bakersfield in June. His business administration degree in management was getting him nowhere, he said.
So he did what hundreds of others throughout Bakersfield have done. He signed up to take the test to become a substitute teacher.
"It's tough out there in this economy," Sabovich, 29, said. "I never thought I'd be a substitute teacher. But this is a way to supplement my income and hopefully put that on my resume. It's a stepping stone."
Kern County has seen about a 20 percent jump in substitutes from last year, said Toni Smith, director of human resources for the Kern County Superintendent of Schools, which manages the countywide substitute list.
"It's definitely up from past years," Smith said. "We've really seen an increase in people that went into a different profession, that profession has slowed down, and they're coming into teaching."
Here's a glimpse at what some districts have seen:
* The sub list shared by Rosedale Union, Norris, Rio Bravo-Greeley Union and Lakeside Union school districts has gone from 425 to more than 622.
* This year, the Kern High School District has about 400 active subs. Last year it had 300.
* Panama-Buena Vista Union has 100 more substitutes on its list than last year.
Statewide, the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing issued 3,500 more substitute credentials in 2008 than 2007, said Erin Duff, assistant consultant in teacher education. This year's numbers are not yet available, but "we'll probably see an upswing in 2009," Duff said.
School officials county and statewide credit the economy and layoffs with driving people to substitute teaching.
However, some new substitutes in some districts, like Panama-Buena Vista, are having trouble getting sub assignments. For one, too many substitutes are signed up. And secondly, by education code, laid off teachers get first dibs on assignments, said Gerrie Kincaid, Panama's assistant superintendent of educational services. Moreover, other districts have stopped taking in substitutes because they've reached their limit.
"We're only hiring new subs on an as-needed basis," said John Teves, KHSD spokesman. "We're not soliciting more subs because we have plenty."
This is a different picture than last year when some districts, like the Superintendent of Schools special education program, couldn't find enough subs, said Gloria Clyburn, secretary for special education programs.
The lucky ones these days are still making good cash filling in in classrooms.
Subs can be paid anywhere from about $12 an hour in a regular classroom to $15 in a special education one -- and even more for long-term substitutes.
Joel Greenhaw sub teaches because he wants to be a full-time history teacher. He gets paid while gaining valuable experience, he said.
"I do it to make some money until I become a teacher," Greenhaw said. "It's good for what you're paid. And I love it."
Jeanne Benabides wanted to substitute teach while she looked for a full-time job. The job is flexible -- you can work the days you want to work -- and it pays OK, she said.
"It's always an option for me if I can't find anything else."
