Keeping substitute teachers, bus drivers difficult for many area schools amid COVID-19 pandemic

For full-time teachers, showing up to the classroom is how they provide for their families. Substitutes have more options and have to carefully consider whether to take a job in a classroom in which a teacher is out sick. For privacy reasons, the district is not able to tell them if the normal teacher is being quarantined after being exposed to COVID-19.

Many substitutes are older, often retired teachers who want to stay active. Older people are more at risk of having complications from COVID-19.

"A big pool of our teachers - and we look forward to seeing these people - are retired folks. They are either teachers themselves coming back, or they are retired from other industries and get their sub license. Some of them are saying it's too big of a risk for me and I'm not interested," says Tom Hosler, the superintendent of Perrysburg schools.

Some districts told us that office staff are being forced into duty as subs or they need to use art or music teachers to cover for an absent colleague. In years past, classes could be combined, but that's not possible with distancing requirements.

If a teacher is exposed or develops COVID-19 symptoms, he or she is forced from the classroom for two weeks. Rather than needing a sub to cover one day, districts have dwindling options to cover two weeks of classes.

In Van Buren, Superintendent Brian Blum is worried about a thin roster of bus drivers. Like substitutes, many drivers are retirees afraid of being exposed to the virus.

"It's been very difficult to find certified bus drivers for bus drivers who are not here during the day," Blum says. "We have our mechanic who sometimes drives a route. We have an administrative assistant who drives a bus."

One of the earliest faces of the pandemic was city of Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove, who died of COVID-19 in April after complaining of sick passengers. Because of transportation regulations, districts can make few modifications to protect drivers.

Drivers see stories like his and are afraid to take the risk. District leaders continue to hold their breath that an outbreak won't sideline drivers or large numbers of teachers. In Van Buren and other small districts, a driver outbreak could mean that routes get combined and students could be forced to spend more than an hour on the bus.

After every route, Matt Conkle and other Van Buren drivers wipe down the seats, rails, and spray a misting disinfectant.

"I don't think I have fingertips left anymore from the scrubbing," Conkle says.

We asked districts how serious the busing issue is. Eighty responded and 33 districts said they are having issues finding drivers. Blum says he's wondering if coverage of the issue will encourage people to be bus drivers. He says he's joking, but it's clear he would accept calls from those interested.

One of our initial theories behind this story was that older employees might choose to retire early or take leaves of absences until the pandemic is over. We initially asked for retirements and leaves of absence prior to this school year versus last year. In the local districts we surveyed, there has been an increase in retirements from 102 to 116 this year, and leaves increased more significantly from 30 to 47 this year. Many districts, however, said some of the decisions were not COVID-related.

But during conversations with leaders, something we weren't expecting has also been happening.  

Multiple districts said that they are losing older and younger teachers.

"We lost extremes - the younger teachers just getting into the prime of their careers, saying due to the circumstances at home, I'm going to sit it out, and we had those at the top of their game who felt they had to exit early," Hosler says.

The attrition of the teaching ranks is one obvious result of the pandemic, but teachers accustomed to doing lesson plans for in-person classes are now sometimes making additional plans for online instruction. Because of the erratic and unpredictable nature of the virus, sometimes teachers have been thrown from in-person to online classes with little notice. Add in concerns for their own health, and it is causing high levels of stress on district employees.

"Our employees are there to serve the students. They are greatly impacted by servicing those students by factors out of their control. That means they have to be concerned about servicing those students, which they greatly want to do, but they also have to be concerned about their families," says Jim Gant, Toledo Public Schools deputy superintendent.

But for Brian Bratt, there was never a doubt that he'd be back. Back teaching, preparing his students for a post-pandemic world.

"This is my career and where I need to be," says Bratt, who teaches an English 10 class, which focuses on career planning, in Van Buren. His wife is also a teacher.

"She had a little more concern than I did, but wearing a mask and keeping distance, I really feel safe," he says.

Stress, anxiety, uncertainty but also resilience, hope, adaptability. All words we've heard while looking at the pandemic's impact on our schools.

Teachers trained to teach are now doubling as cleaning teams and mask monitors. Coaches trained to coach have to ask: masks on or off during the team photo.

Plans have been hammered out over that last several months, through endless meetings and phone calls that last deep into the night. But leaders are left to wonder what 2020 has left in store. They are left to wonder what the next phone call might mean. If all the plans must be adjusted again.

"That's been a daily thought since July 20, first day walked in here: What happens if there is a big  outbreak?" Blum says. 

"Since we brought the kids back into the classroom, it's always a thought: 'What happens if there is an outbreak?'"