In a San Francisco Elementary School, fifth grader Ivy Swing spent a day in a first grade classroom filling out worksheets and helping them read because the class had no substitute teacher. School officials say the shortage worsened as the unemployment rate improved. In Washington State, a prelimintary survey late last year by the office of state Actuary found 84 of 94 school districts that responded had trouble finding substitutes. West Virginia lawmakers voted in 2013 to require central office administrators to fill in for absent teachers three days a year because of the shortage. Schools in Fishers, Indiana say that this year they are able to fill about 93% of its openings, down from 97% last year.
-Katelyn Goodell
-Katelyn Goodell