WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — The West Des Moines Community School District is proposing a pay raise for long-term substitutes to bring certified teachers back to the classroom.
Right now, anyone with a substitute license from the state of Iowa can fill in for a teacher on extended leave, but prior experience teaching that subject or grade level is not required.
“So far this year in our district, 71% of those who have taken long-term substitute positions have never taught or been endorsed for the exact subject or grade that they’re teaching in, and so we are hoping to decrease that number,” said Dr. Nora Ryan, the district’s chief human resources officer…