Teachers’ union warns of nurse, paraprofessional and substitute shortages; urges training and scheduling fixes

Katie Sidman, president of the Montgomery County Education Association, presented the union’s staffing concerns and priorities as bargaining for the certified staff collective bargaining agreement (CBA) enters the negotiations cycle ahead of its January 2026 expiration.

Sidman said school nursing vacancies and the difficulty of filling nurse substitute assignments leave some schools without day‑to‑day coverage. She also emphasized a large gap between substitute teacher fill rates (reported high) and paraprofessional fill rates (reported at roughly 55% in August), which she said creates frequent disruption and shifts existing staff into triage roles.

Sidman urged the division to examine substitute recruitment and training, arguing that paraprofessional assignments often require specific skills—behavioral de‑escalation and one‑to‑one support—that substitute workers currently do not receive. She also recommended exploring differential pay or training pathways to improve para sub fill rates and suggested compensating elementary teachers when teammates absorb extra students during an unfilled absence.

On calendar priorities, Sidman said staff support a full week spring break, more consistent conference days and protected work days that are not moved into PD (professional development) sessions, and other staffing adjustments to reduce end‑of‑term grading pressures. Board members discussed short‑term operational fixes—such as clarifying substitute eligibility, adjusting pay bands and increasing training—and longer‑term budget implications for any pay increases.

Board members acknowledged the timing of budget planning and asked administration to bring the staffing issues and suggested remedies into upcoming budget discussions so impacts can be assessed.