CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Many students in the Coastal Bend are hitting the books and back in the classroom, but by no means is this school year back to normal.
The challenges that comes with navigating the pandemic are still there, one of those being staffing shortages.
Corpus Christi ISD is looking for more substitute teachers.
"We know every year substitutes are a critical component for student success and campus success every day,” said Jennifer Arismendi, the Executive Director for Educational Support and Counseling Services for CCISD.
“This year now that we are back on campus and face to face, I mean every year pre COVID subs are such a precious commodity and the same with this year.”
Arismendi says they’ve had to be creative when it comes to recruiting.
“We have had fairs for substitutes, placed advertisements and billboards in search of substitutes and students,” said Arismendi.
Calallen ISD is also in the same boat.
“We’re having a difficult time getting substitutes and quite frankly some of them have actually told us they don’t really want to substitute until this COVID thing goes away,” said Dr. Artie Almendarez, the Calallen ISD Superintendent.
Almendarez says they’re also finding ways to recruit more substitutes.
“One of the things we’re doing in terms of our substitutes is to increase the rate of pay in an effort to get substitutes to come in and help us,” said Almendarez.
And Calallen isn’t just in need of substitutes, but bus drivers too.
“The transportation director is driving a bus route, one of our mechanics is driving a bus route, it’s all hands-on deck in terms of us being able to continue to have our bus routes in place just like we’ve had them for this year,” said Almendarez.
If you’re interested in applying at CCISD, click here.
If you’re interested in applying at Calallen ISD, click here.