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In CMS, a pandemic plan for finding substitute teachers shows lasting value

Guest teacher Kevin Hardwick works with his third-grade math class at Idlewild Elementary.
Ann Doss Helms
/
WFAE
Guest teacher Kevin Hardwick works with his third-grade math class at Idlewild Elementary.

The COVID-19 pandemic heaped challenges on schools, but officials and educators in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools say one lasting benefit has emerged: the guest teacher program.

The district has hired almost 500 substitute teachers on one-year contracts, placing them in schools where they’re always on standby. The program is going strong for the coming school year, but the federal money that pays for it will run out the following year.

Before the pandemic, CMS relied heavily on retired teachers to serve as substitutes. But when the district started bringing students back for in-person classes, the virus was still spreading and older adults were being warned to avoid exposure.

Nicolette Grant, one of the district’s learning community superintendents, says that eroded the supply of subs.

“That was the very age group that was most susceptible to the virus. And so many of them stayed home for their own health,” she said.

At the same time, classroom teachers were getting sick, isolating after exposure and, in some cases, leaving the profession. Vacancies without subs meant teachers were covering classes during their planning periods. Or students were being divided up and sent to other classes while their teacher was absent.

So CMS decided to sweeten the pot for subs, creating full-time one-year positions for substitutes who would show up every day at specific schools and do whatever was needed. They’d get better pay and benefits, plus the security of a steady paycheck. The guest teacher program started in 42 high-needs schools, then expanded to all 180.

“The schools and principals that I’ve worked with have really felt that the guest teachers were kind of a lifeline and provided crucial support in a time when the availability of certified teachers has been diminished,” Grant said.

More time with his children


Of course, the pandemic upended all sorts of careers. Kevin Hardwick had a thriving career in hospitality management when COVID-19 forced closings and layoffs.

“And then on the back end of COVID, hospitality really got busy and crazy. We picked up more accounts. And, to be honest, it just became very overwhelming,” Hardwick said.

Hardwick had two sons at Idlewild Elementary (one has since advanced to Randolph Middle School). He was coaching them in youth sports, but he felt like his job made it hard to be there for them. When he heard about the guest teacher positions at a PTA meeting, Hardwick and his wife started talking about a change. His wife makes enough money that Hardwick could trade a pay cut for a schedule that synced with his kids.

CMS pays $3,225 a month for career-changers like Hardwick to sign on as guest teachers; it jumps to $3,870 a month for certified teachers.

“Clearly it wasn’t about the money,” Hardwick says of his job change.

In August 2021, Hardwick started work at Idlewild.

“I went from that dad that was absent to now I get to take my kids to school every day,” he said.

Hardwick was assigned to PE and art classes his first year. This year he was still a guest teacher on paper. But he spent the entire year teaching third-grade math. As far as his students can tell, he’s just a regular teacher.

Finding a new calling


Idlewild Principal Trishi Stewart says Hardwick turned out to be a natural.

“I think some of the strongest teachers I’ve ever come across are lateral entry teachers or alternate licensure teachers,” Stewart said, referring to teachers who didn’t major in education. “And a lot of them are older, with families. They’re raising kids. And I think that kind of gives you a leg up when it comes to classroom management.”

Hardwick says his experience as a dad and a coach definitely helps. But so does the preparation he got when he was hired as a guest teacher.

“There was at least a week ... where I was only doing observations. So I was sitting in with some of their best teachers, just watching them and how they managed their class, how they teach their lesson, some of the things they say to get kids’ attention,” he said.

Hardwick also relies on experienced colleagues to create lesson plans. One big plus of a full-year stint is that substitutes build relationships with their colleagues, administrators and students.

When he moved from art and PE to math, Hardwick also moved into the world of standardized testing, where students’ skills are constantly tracked and their progress is used to gauge the effectiveness of their teachers. Final scores haven’t been released, but in April Principal Stewart said Hardwick’s numbers were very good.

“He was doing such a good job and his data is so strong that I went to him and said, ‘Mr. Hardwick, how would you like to move into a teaching position?’ And he said, ‘I’d really like that.’ So next year Mr. Hardwick is going to be a full-fledged teacher,” Stewart said.

And that’s the big payoff. Quarantines and isolation may be past, but teacher shortages are ongoing. Whenever CMS lands someone who has shown they have the knack — and they’re willing to take classes to earn a license — that’s a big win.

The CMS budget for the coming school year includes $22.3 million for guest teachers. That comes from federal COVID-19 aid, which is slated to run out the following year. After relying on guest teachers for the last couple of years, some administrators and school board members say they hope to find a way to keep it going.

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Ann Doss Helms has covered education in the Charlotte area for over 20 years, first at The Charlotte Observer and then at WFAE. Reach her at ahelms@wfae.org or 704-926-3859.