Superintendent says district is 97.2% staffed; 59 certified vacancies remain

Superintendent Cole told the Committee of the Whole on Sept. 4 that East Baton Rouge Parish schools are 97.2% staffed for school-based instructional and support positions and that the district maintains a roster of more than 500 substitute teachers. Cole said that number of certified vacancies stands at 59 and that the district has assigned site-based substitutes so each campus has at least two on hand. “We are currently 59 vacancies in our certified teaching position. There's only 59 vacancies, which is much, much, much, much better than where we were this time last year,” he said, attributing the improvement to an aggressive recruitment effort by Human Resources. Board member Lanus asked whether the district could assign two substitutes in classrooms that need extra instructional support; Cole said yes and added that the curriculum department is providing additional coaching and materials to substitute teachers who request instructional support. District officials said the substitute and recruitment efforts are ongoing and that staff will continue to prioritize filling the remaining certified positions.