As Kentucky classrooms scramble to find enough teachers, a committee of state lawmakers approved a measure Tuesday that would lower the education requirements for substitutes.
Current law requires substitute teachers to have a bachelor’s degree or at least 64 hours of college credit. House Bill 387 would reduce those requirements to a high school diploma or equivalent, such as a GED.
Bill sponsor Republican Rep. Timmy Truett is the principal of McKee Elementary in Jackson County. He told the House Education Committee that recently his school had to make do with nine teachers out and no available substitutes. He said he wanted to call in retired school secretaries or other adults in the community, but they don’t have enough college credits.
“I can think of all kinds of different examples who I would love to have in my building, but can’t get them there because they don’t have those 64 hours,” Truett said.
Under HB 387, applicants with a high school diploma would be eligible for a one-year emergency substitute certification. Applicants would still have to go through background checks.