Parents of students attending Woodland Elementary School in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan district received an unlikely phone call last week from school principal, Lisa Carlson.
Carlson, whose been at the school for 16 years, called and asked parents if they would help fill a need for substitute teachers.
"We really are short this year. More than ever," Carlson told WCCO Radio's Steve Simpson during the WCCO Radio Morning News on Wednesday. "Out of the last 20 days, I was short 12 of those days."
In fact, the district as a whole is seeing shortage of roughly 300 substitute teachers.
"We used to get a lot of retired teachers who probably are nervous about coming into a COVID-filled school," Carlson said. "Also, the labor shortage and there's a shortage of teachers across the state."
So far this year Carlson says the school has approached the issue day-by-day by seeing who they can use to fill-in. At times Carlson herself has taken on the role as substitute teacher.
"We might cancel a specialist for the day, so we might cancel art, and then the teachers wouldn't have that prep time and kids wouldn't have art. Anything we can do to fill a classroom teacher."
Substitute teachers must have a four-year college degree, a licensing class, and a background check. After that, the district provides training and offers a daily salary of $165.
"Kids are respectful, they want to learn, to be in school, and want a teacher to be in front of them," added Carlson.