CMS Launching ‘Guest Teacher’ Program To Combat Shortages
Not unlike other industries school districts across the country have many positions they need to fill. This, understandably, is leading to burnout for many teachers. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) is launching a new ‘Guest Teacher” initiative to help deal with this burnout and staff shortage. In addition to shortages of full-time staff, they are also experiencing a lack of substitute teachers leading to other teachers having to cover classes during planning periods. According to data from WCNC, the school system only has 365 registered as subs compared to 2,747 in the 2017-2018 year.
The new CMS ‘guest teacher’ program aims to fill in, or at the very least improve that gap. 42 schools will feature the program which will have teachers assigned to one school. Requirement include a high school diploma and guest teachers must be at least 21 years of age. North Carolina law does not require any licenses or training for substitute teachers. These guest teachers will be considered full-time employees and receive $150 per day. The teachers will then float around to the classes where they are needed whether it is as a substitute or in an unfilled position. This will allow them to build a rapport with the staff and students alike.
