College Station ISD officials will consider the implementation of a pilot program that would allow central office staff members to serve as substitute teachers on district campuses.
The details
Trustees discussed the potential plan during the board’s Oct. 20 meeting.
The idea was initially raised during the board’s Sept. 15 workshop, where officials said the move could serve as a cost-saving measure by allowing salaried administrators to serve as substitute teachers.
While specific details of the plan have not yet been drafted, Superintendent Tim Harkrider said his team could put a framework together by the board’s December workshop.
A closer look
During the board’s Sept. 15 workshop, officials said the plan was inspired by a similar program recently proposed by El Paso ISD that could save the district up to $255,000 per year by allowing administrators to sometimes serve as substitutes.
The item was brought forward by Place 3 trustee Chris Field, a former substitute teacher. At the Sept. 15 workshop, Field said the cost-cutting measures would be helpful for the district and would also give administrators a chance to connect with students.
Place 4 trustee Mike Martindale said he thought a plan could be implemented that would allow administrators to serve as substitutes on days when the district was expecting a significant number of teachers to be absent.
“Typically, you can see those bad days coming a little in advance,” Martindale said. “Then, it can just be, ‘Hey, Friday is bad. Is there anyone in this building whose calendar will allow them to sub and help us cover some of those classes?’”
Board President Kim Ege agreed, saying she felt that idea was better than requiring administrators to spend a predetermined number of days in the classroom. However, she said any plan that could be implemented would be an administrative policy and not dictated by the board.
“I think if the district decides it wants to do something like this, it needs to be led more by [administrators] than by us,” Ege said.
What’s next
Since the plan would fall under the purview of the district’s day-to-day operations, Harkrider agreed it would not require board approval to implement. Harkrider said he would review the potential plan with his team and present board members with a framework of what it could look like at the board’s December workshop.
