DN Editorial: SUB WARFARE

TO MANY, substitute teachers are like rental cars: there to be mistreated and driven recklessly because after all, who cares? It's not your "real" car. It's not your "real" teacher.

And while substitute teachers are often the center of jokes, in Philadelphia last week they were the center of attention when Source4Teachers, a firm that won a $34 million contract for providing substitute teachers to the school district came up short on opening day of school and left hundreds of classrooms without teachers - 477 to be exact.

There are so many things wrong with this picture.

1. Over 500 absent teachers?

Source4Teachers filled 11 percent of teachers missing from the first day of school; that means 535 teachers, didn't show up on Day 1 (99 were vacant positions). Sure, teachers get sick unexpectedly like the rest of us, but in a district with 8,400 teachers, a 5 percent absenteeism rate strikes us as alarming. We're talking about the first day of school. Not exactly a good way to kick off the year.

2. Walmart wages.

Source4Teachers could fill only 11 percent of the substitute teachers needed last week. If they don't perform better by January, they'll be faced with financial penalties. One factor in their inability to find enough substitute teachers may well be the pay they're offering: Uncertified teachers reportedly get $75 a day. Certified teachers get $90 to $100 a day; for a 7 1/2 hour day, that's $13 an hour. That's how much Walmart pays its managers.

Why are we Walmarting the teaching profession?

Under district management, certified subs were paid $160 a day, (around $21 an hour) and retired Philadelphia teachers up to $242 a day (about $33 an hour).

That seems more in line with a job that is at best physically and mentally exhausting . . . and one that requires a bachelor's degree and in some cases, advanced degrees.

3. Cuts hurt. Period.

Every year, the district pleads for more money to educate our children, and every year, the district is told to cut their budget. In addition, charter schools have put a huge dent in the operating budgets for noncharter public schools. Meanwhile, the teacher's union has held firm on not giving over $100 million in concessions. They're naturally upset by the outsourcing of substitute teachers, and want everything to go back to the way it was.

We don't support cutting the quality of teaching staff, and yet, we're in no position to offer alternatives to the budget woes. We do know that every cut hurts kids; why is that so hard to understand?

While it may seem like there's plenty of responsibility to pass around for this mess, the blame really lands squarely on one body: the state Legislature. They've demanded cuts and enacted policies that leave the district starving year after year. In fact, the state Legislature hasn't even passed its current budget, which imperils the schools even more. And recently, City Council has been critical of district spending and holding back on $25 million in promised funding.

So when we start Walmarting the teaching profession, don't blame the district. Blame the lawmakers who are only interested in providing enough money for a cut-rate, bargain, inferior education.