Teachers Feel Overwhelmed & Not Supported
It's been said by people often and in many forums: "We need to attract better teachers to Shenandoah County ". That certainly sounds like a wonderful concept, however it doesn't show much support or reinforcement of the current SCPS teachers who are working harder with less now than ever before.
The shortage of available substitutes has most certainly added to our full-time teachers being over worked as they often must cover classes for absent teachers. With covid-19 exposures and quarantines occuring at an alarming rate, those abscences are larger in number and often in duration as well.
Surrounding areas have started to try numerous solutions including half-days for students to give teachers time to catch up, and attempts to obtain more substitutes.
During a late September School Board meeting, Rockingham County announced their plan.
A big part of the strategy to overcome the substitute teacher shortage in Rockingham was to increase the substitute teacher pay to $120 a day and $130 a day for long-term substitutes in Rockingham County Schools.
Recently, the substitute teacher pay in Shenandoah County School's has also been planned to be increased significantly.
Lower pay seems to be a common excuse for the shortages, however it may lay more in the lap of our Human Resources Department at District Headquarters.
A Shenandoah County substitute teacher anonymously said that the teachers feel "unsupported" and "underappreciated" in a recent interview.
Low morale is no way to attract employees and it doesn't set our teachers up for success. That puts SCPS students at a disadvantage as well, because being confident and feeling supported in your workplace is an ingredient needed for prosperity.
Our School Board, Administration, and District Human Resources must step up with ideas, support, and morale boosting plans as soon as possible, before we lose more of the great, but overworked instructors our schools already have. With the morale being higher, more teachers will be much easier to attract in the future. A staff that feels support and backing is "very limited" certainly isn't in the best situation to lead the children of Shenandoah County to excel.
Our Teachers and Students definitely deserve better.
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