By Adam Studzinski

BLOOMINGTON – Schools throughout Illinois are trying a number of different methods to recruit more teach substitutes.

A new survey by the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools showed schools aren’t able to find subs for about 18 percent of the roughly 16,500 teacher absences each week. Regional Superintendent of Schools for McLean, DeWitt, Livingston and Logan counties Mark Jontry explained it’s a problem schools have been trying to alleviate for a long time.

“We’ve had a number of recruitment fairs; each district – Unit 5, District 87, we’ve held them at the regional office to try to attract them on a county-wide basis,” said Jontry. “We eve connect with the universities to try to make teachers that are graduating know that, obviously, is an option for them potentially to get a foot in a door in a school district.”

A new state law reduced the fee to register as a sub by $50, but Jontry said the fee might still be too high. He said another factor hindering people from becoming a sub could be the pay – substitutes typically make $80 to $100 per day.

“I think it’s going to continue to be something that we have to look at through the rest of this year,” Jontry said.

Jontry added when schools cannot fill an absence, administrators have to “get pretty creative.” He said many times a teacher will have to give up their planning period in order to make sure an absence is covered.

Adam Studzinski can be reached at [email protected].