Substitute teachers question districts’ fairness
By Michael Picarella
Acorn Staff Writer

At least some substitute teachers are angry about the treatment they get from local school districts.

One teacher recently complained that school districts have unrealistic expectations and only are concerned about their needs, not the substitutes.

Replacement teachers, she said, are required to be available at least three days per week by a district, although it guarantees no work. Substitutes receive neither benefits nor a pension. They earn only $100 per day.

Oak Park Unified School District (OPUSD) Superintendent Marilyn Lippiatt said substitutes aren’t district employees.

"We value our substitutes," Lippiatt said, "but they have day to day positions. It’s a choice (they make)."

In Oak Park, Lippiatt said, there are about 60 substitutes listed. And they aren’t required to be available, she said, any minimum number of days.

OPUSD makes no promises about the number of days they can expect to work, Lippiatt said. And Oak Park district, she said, works cooperatively to meet the schedules of substitutes.

The district keeps a large pool of available replacements, Lippiatt said, to comply with the demanding schedule preferences of the substitutes.

Replacement instructors don’t quality for fringe benefits because they aren’t full-time employees of the district, she said. In fact, substitute teaching could be considered less than a part-time job, Lippiatt said.

The pay varies in Oak Park, based on the time they work. A substitute is paid differently for a half day vs. a full day vs. two weeks. Some replacement teachers prefer only a day or two on a sporadic basis, Lippiatt said.

"Some only want to work one day of the week," Lippiatt said. Many are retired, she said, and want infrequent hours.

"Substitute teachers have a very specific role," Lippiatt said. And they are treated fairly, according to the OPUSD superintendent.

Some districts are larger and require greater availability. Las Virgenes Unified School District (LVUSD) sets different standards than Oak Park.

"We want people to basically be available," said assistant superintendent of personnel Stephen Hanke. "We want consistency in our schools."

Hanke said LVUSD requires substitute teachers to fill out an availability form, specifying at least three days a week that they can work. The days can change, Hanke said, but stability is preferred.

Unlike OPUSD, LVUSD employs substitute teachers, Hanke said. And like most other districts, substitutes don’t get benefits in Las Virgenes.

LVUSD has a pool of about 150 to 175 substitute teachers to pull from, Hanke said. LVUSD likes to be familiar with its replacements, he said.

In recent years, LVUSD—like Oak Park—didn’t have minimal expectations regarding availability, but the system, Hanke said, needed improvement. Too many teachers weren’t accustomed its policies, he said.

The highest priority was effective teaching and LVUSD wanted improvement from its substitutes, according to Hanke.

"For the most part, we do very good," he said, adding that he hadn’t heard complaints from the district’s substitutes. The system, Hanke said, seems to be working nicely with the kids.

"We want a committed group of people who want to work with us," Hanke said.