Debbie Amaya’s workday begins early. She’s at her desk by 7 a.m.
to line up more substitute teachers for the Morgan Hill Unified
School District.
MORGAN HILL
Debbie Amaya’s workday begins early. She’s at her desk by 7 a.m. to line up more substitute teachers for the Morgan Hill Unified School District.
In her job as personnel technician, she uses the automated system to be sure there are teachers in the district’s classroom.
“About 25 percent of the time, we come in and are fully staffed,” said Jay Totter, assistant superintended in charge of human resources for the district.
“The other 75 percent of the time, she’s working to fill slots.”
The district has 120 substitutes on its roster, but most of them have their specific requirements, such as that they will only teach at the middle school level, or only at a certain school, or only on certain days.
The shortage of substitutes at the district is also felt in the state and country.
But the variety of roles she has played in the district, from a substitute yard duty to regular yard duty to administrative secretary, have helped her develop a supportive relationship with the substitutes she coordinates.
Her knowledge and experience have paid off. She’s added about 20 additional substitute teachers to the district’s roster in the past few years.
The district’s annual budget for substitutes is $600,000, which means Amaya and the human resources department strive to employ quality substitute teachers wisely.
“We only have 180 days of instruction, so we can’t afford not to move forward with our instruction every day,” Totter said. “We have to have quality people who can keep the instruction moving.”
The department must report annually to the school board, and one of the things Amaya includes in her report is the reason for the substitute.
“We look for unusual number, like an excessive amount of professional development beyond what is required,” Totter said.
Many of the substitute teachers become full-time teachers for the district, he added.
“Debbie does a great job of working cooperatively with Terri (Parks, who hires teachers), to see that the district gets the best people for the job,” he said.
Amaya said she is excited when one of her subs becomes a teacher.
“It’s very exciting,” she said. “I really enjoy seeing people moving forward in their career.”
A substitute must pass a background check and be fingerprinted when they apply for work in the district. Although the district is always in need of more substitutes, Totter said, that doesn’t mean the district won’t be selective.
“We want the best people in the classroom, and if someone doesn’t workout for whatever reason, we have to let them go,” he said.
To apply, visit the District Office, 15600 Concord Circle, or contact the human resources department at (408) 201-6000.
