With the supply of new teachers dwindling as certifications continue to drop, school districts across the state, including the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, are forced to fiercely compete for substitute teachers to be able to continue functioning normally, writes Ford Turner for The Allentown Morning Call. 

This lack of substitutes puts additional stress on teachers since all classrooms need a teacher or a substitute. When there are not enough substitutes, teachers must take their place to fill in the gaps. 

“We have increased pay for substitute teachers to compete,” said Unionville-Chadds Ford Superintendent John Sanville. “And it becomes a dog chasing its tail because we raise our rates; neighboring districts, neighboring counties raise their rates; and it is all just in an effort to recruit from an ever-diminishing substitute pool.”

Currently, the average pay for a substitute teacher in Chester County is $130 a day, benefits not included. 

And it is not just the teachers who are in short supply. 

“It is across all job categories,” said Sanville. “You are seeing administrators across the commonwealth serving lunches, driving buses. I have done both myself this year. It is a situation that is not sustainable.” 

Read more about the teacher shortage in The Allentown Morning Call.