Substitute Teacher Support and Coordination

FOCUS: PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

In Humboldt County, Calif., attracting substitute teachers has been a persistent problem. As superintendent of the office of education, we addressed the chronic shortage of substitutes by revolutionizing the onboarding process.

In March 2023, we launched the Humboldt County Substitute Consortium to better serve the personnel needs through a multifaceted strategy to attract and retain high-quality substitute teachers, a critical need in rural education. At the heart of this strategy is a robust professional development program.

Humboldt County, located 200 miles north of San Francisco, serves approximately 17,500 students in 31 school districts and 15 charter schools. Several districts enroll fewer than 10 students.