AISD spokesperson Eddie Villa said as the school district faces much higher than normal teacher absences amid COVID-19 spread, 450 central office staff are stepping in as substitutes, including himself and Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.
Austin ISD employs roughly 5,500 teachers and had a minimum of 479 teacher absences during school days last week, meaning roughly 1 in 10 teachers were absent.
The district recorded 506 substitute requests Jan. 10, 479 substitute requests Jan. 11, 486 Jan. 12 and 561 Jan. 13.
Villa said the district has more than 1,400 substitutes in its pool, not including central office staff; however only 30% are actively taking on classes.
