CPS sees highest need for substitute teachers since start of school year
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public School District has seen its highest need for substitute teachers since the start of the school year according to CPS dashboard data.
CPS started the school year on Aug. 24. The week of Aug. 23 - 27, it filled 81 of the 122 substitute teacher spots, which equates to 66.5%.
Since the first week of school, the school district has seen a drop in substitute teacher fill rates.
- Week 1: Filled 81 of 122 Spots = 66.5% fill rate
- Week 2: Filled 177 of 279 Spots = 63.5% fill rate
- Week 3: Filled 151 of 243 Spots = 62.4% fill rate
- Week 4: Filled 228 of 411 Spots = 55% fill rate
As a state, Missouri has seen an increased need for substitute teachers since the start of the pandemic.
Last month, the State Board of Education approved an online substitute teacher certificate which would require 20 hours of online training. This will go into effect starting in December.
Previously, individuals needed to complete 60 hours of training to become a substitute teacher.
COVID-19 14-Day Positivity Rate
Since the start of the school year, CPS has seen a slight increase in the 14-day COVID-19 positivity rate within the district but it has since gone back down to the same levels as the start of the school year.
On the first day of the 2021-2022 school year, CPS reported having a 14-day COVID-19 positivity case rate of 45.9 new cases per 10,000 people.
The case rate then peaked on Sept. 15, with 49.7 cases per 10,000 people. The most recent data from Sept. 17, shows the case rate has dropped back down to 45.2 cases per 10,000 people.
Currently, the district is reporting 10 staff members out of school due to COVID-19. Six of these are due to positive COVID-19 cases and four staff members are quarantined.
CPS reports a total of 220 students out of school due to COVID-19. 41 of these are due to COVID-19 cases according to the district's dashboard tracker.
