DOVER — A Senate committee approved a bill Wednesday to provide full-time substitute teachers to schools that serve low-income students — although the bill has been funded at a lower amount than its authors initially aimed for, reducing the number of teachers that could be hired should it become law.

Under House Bill 315, teachers would work at individual elementary, middle and high schools with student populations that are half or more low income. The positions would be full time and salaried, with benefits. During the meeting of the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, a representative of a union for public school employees praised the bill, saying substitute teachers have been sorely needed to cover for sick educators during the pandemic. And there has been a shortage of both.

“What we realized through the pandemic is that if there was a problem, the pandemic made it even worse,” said Kristin Dwyer, head of legislative policy at the Delaware State Education Association. “Providing coverage during the endemic stage of COVID-19, as people were coming in and out from being sick, was very, very problematic.”

As it was originally introduced, HB 315 would have provided for up to two full-time substitute teachers at “high needs” schools — about 208 total educators, according to an analysis in the fiscal note that accompanied the bill. The price tag for that many teachers would have been significant, costing the state about $12 million per year. Local governments would have needed to chip in another $3 million annually.

The Joint Finance Committee, which is responsible for writing the bill that sets the state budget each year, set $2 million aside in a block grant for substitutes hired under HB 315. What that means in terms of how many substitute teachers schools will be able to hire is not yet clear; the Department of Education, the Office of Management and Budget and the Controller General’s Office will determine how the funds are distributed.

Delaware schools regularly report that less than half of requests for substitute teachers are able to be filled, said education committee chair Sen. Laura Sturgeon, D-Woodbrook, and finding quality substitutes has been difficult in part due to low per diem pay.

“This bill addresses all those issues,” Sen. Sturgeon said.
Sen. Sturgeon, who was a public school teacher prior to running for the Senate, said she worked for 12 years at a school that had permanent substitute teachers.

“It was awesome, because that person knew the kids, knew the culture of the building, was there every day,” Sen. Sturgeon said.