By Rebecca Burk / L’Observateur / January 23, 1998

EDGARD – The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will soon get ahandle on the number of substitute teachers that the parish actually hasavailable on file.

Lists of substitute teachers who have recently been used are beingrequested by St. John schools.Alfred Donaldson, acting director of personnel, told the school board atThursday night’s meeting that some school’s lists had about 200substitutes on it, but only a handful had recently subbed.

He added the school system is in need of good substitutes and the schoolboard takes substitute teacher applications all year and tests theapplicants at least once or twice a month.The requirements for applicants, he said, is that they have to pass theCalifornia Achievement Test with a 10 and take a drug test.

“We are making every attempt to get substitutes,” Donaldson said. “Butwe will never have a list big enough.”Board members made suggestions, including working out a deal with localindustries to try to get them to allow some of their employees to take aday off from work to teach.

“We should call the industries and see if they will help, maybe with someworkers or a list of their retirees,” board member Russ Wise said.

Another board member said that substitutes would not be necessary if theteachers were in class more often, a problem which has plagued the St.John School System and other school systems in Louisiana for years,school officials say.

“It’s talked about all over the state by legislators and superintendents,”Superintendent Cleveland Farlough said.”We need to find a way of rewarding the people who are performing,”board member Dowie Gendron added.

Board member Leroy Mitchell disagreed, and said the teachers would notshow up for a little extra compensation if they didn’t plan on going toschool anyway.

“I personally do not think rewarding someone for doing the job is the wayto go,” he said. “We need to eliminate those non-working employees andgive those who are working a raise.”Farlough said good substitute teachers won’t be found, unless there is helpand cooperation from the community. “We are not going to be able to do itby ourselves,” he said.

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