Evergreen School District is looking for substitutes for all positions and has recently increased the hourly pay as part of recruitment efforts.

While substitute teachers are in high demand, the district is looking for people willing to cover paraprofessional, food service, maintenance and clerical/office positions.

“We always work to make sure we have a full substitute roster but the past few years have been unprecedented in the demand for them and the scarcity of them,” Evergreen Director of Business and Human Resources Chris Campbell said.

Hourly pay for short-term substitutes is $15.18 an hour. Long-term substitutes, people working 35 days or longer, are paid $22.74 an hour.

Substitute shortage or not, Campbell said the district actively recruits subs regularly.

“I don’t think we’ve reached a threshold where we’re comfortable taking our foot off the gas in our recruiting efforts,” he said.

People interested in subbing may work as often as they want. The district encompasses East Evergreen Elementary, Evergreen Junior High, Evergreen Crossroads and the superintendent’s office.

“We’re more than willing to train and equip anyone who is willing to be sub,” Campbell said.

Subs are also welcome to join staff trainings to build classroom skills. No prior experience working in education is required, however, people should have an aptitude or desire to work with children, Campbell said. People interested in applying can do so online at www.evergreensd50.com. Substitutes will be required to pass a background check and have their fingerprints taken.

Campbell said subbing is a great way for people to find out if they are interested in pursuing a career in education by getting experience working in a school setting.

“If someone is thinking about getting into the education world, it’s a really good way to dip your toe in and see if it’s a good fit for you,” Campbell said.

Evergreen Crossroads paraprofessional Jeanne Karlstad started out as a sub while her children were in school to be on the same schedule. She went on to substitute in different positions and buildings for 10 years, usually four or five times a week.

“It was nice to have variety,” Karlstad said.

She found her niche at Crossroads where she subbed for four years before deciding to take the full-time paraprofessional position. Crossroads serves K-8 students with specialized behavioral needs from Evergreen and area schools in the valley.

Prior to subbing, Carlsbad worked at Costco and was a bit nervous in the beginning.

“I was a little out of my element,” Karlstad said.

As she took on more subbing opportunities, she gained more experience and gleaned what classroom management techniques she could through watching other teachers either subbing in a co-teacher classroom or as a substitute paraprofessional. Her nervousness ebbed as she found herself building relationships with staff and students.

“I surprised myself,” she said about her jump into education.

And in between that period of inexperience and experience, “I put a lot of my mom skills into place,” she said.

Serving as a substitute takes patience and flexibility she said. Her other advice is to keep students engaged with minimal downtime. She said Evergreen educators are great at leaving lesson plans and in her experience, extra work or activity suggestions if students finish assignments early.

For more information about becoming a substitute call 751-1111.

Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.