Degree no longer required in Ohio

On Jan 5, 2022

The jump in COVID-19 cases is impacting school districts across Greater Cincinnati. The biggest concern for many of them is the lack of substitutes.”What’s probably going into impact us first and foremost, or has, aside from people getting sick which is obviously huge, would be staffing,” said Matt Miller, superintendent for Lakota Schools. In the Lakota district on Wednesday, 60 staff members out of about 1,400 were out for various reasons including COVID-19, the flu, or need to stay home to care for a sick child.The problem, Miller said, is the need for staff is outpacing the substitutes they have.”We are hiring substitute teachers, cafeteria, intervention aides. We have kids that are in college now that we can bring in as subs that are helping us out while they’re on winter break,” Miller said. The Mason School District is dealing with the same issue. The district was short 23 staff members just because of COVID-19 on Wednesday.”We’re not having an alarm bell ringing yet that we would be in danger of being able to safely have school,” said Tracey Carson, spokesperson for Mason City Schools. Neither district is considering switching to remote learning, but they are both eager to recruit more subs.”A lot of people don’t know the rules have changed in Ohio, and you don’t need a teaching license. You have a temporary license right now to do that,” Carson said. “In Mason, we’d love to encourage, if someone has just graduated from college, doesn’t have a job yet, come sub for us, make $125 a day and get to be with students.”Both districts upped their pay for substitute teachers to that rate during this time of need. Applicants will still be vetted and have to go through a background check.”We ask them what their interest is. If they don’t have a degree, what their interest is, why they want to do this, what their connection to Lakota Schools is, because that’s important too. We don’t want to just put anybody with our kids,” Miller said. Mason and Lakota said they are also in need of substitute nurses. The Kings Local School District and Little Miami are two other districts in Greater Cincinnati that have said they are in need of substitutes.In most cases, people can find out how to apply through the districts’ websites.

WEST CHESTER TOWNSHIP, Ohio —

The jump in COVID-19 cases is impacting school districts across Greater Cincinnati. The biggest concern for many of them is the lack of substitutes.

“What’s probably going into impact us first and foremost, or has, aside from people getting sick which is obviously huge, would be staffing,” said Matt Miller, superintendent for Lakota Schools.

In the Lakota district on Wednesday, 60 staff members out of about 1,400 were out for various reasons including COVID-19, the flu, or need to stay home to care for a sick child.

The problem, Miller said, is the need for staff is outpacing the substitutes they have.

“We are hiring substitute teachers, cafeteria, intervention aides. We have kids that are in college now that we can bring in as subs that are helping us out while they’re on winter break,” Miller said.

The Mason School District is dealing with the same issue. The district was short 23 staff members just because of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

“We’re not having an alarm bell ringing yet that we would be in danger of being able to safely have school,” said Tracey Carson, spokesperson for Mason City Schools.

Neither district is considering switching to remote learning, but they are both eager to recruit more subs.

“A lot of people don’t know the rules have changed in Ohio, and you don’t need a teaching license. You have a temporary license right now to do that,” Carson said. “In Mason, we’d love to encourage, if someone has just graduated from college, doesn’t have a job yet, come sub for us, make $125 a day and get to be with students.”

Both districts upped their pay for substitute teachers to that rate during this time of need. Applicants will still be vetted and have to go through a background check.

“We ask them what their interest is. If they don’t have a degree, what their interest is, why they want to do this, what their connection to Lakota Schools is, because that’s important too. We don’t want to just put anybody with our kids,” Miller said.

Mason and Lakota said they are also in need of substitute nurses.

The Kings Local School District and Little Miami are two other districts in Greater Cincinnati that have said they are in need of substitutes.

In most cases, people can find out how to apply through the districts’ websites.