The Rhode Island General Assembly is sending a bill to Governor Dan McKee's desk which temporarily lifts a 90-day limit on retired teachers serving as substitutes.
The legislation, sponsored by state Senator Bridget Valverde and Representative William O'Brien, aims to address the current shortage of educators in Rhode Island schools.
“Our state is facing a significant shortage of qualified teachers and this troubling fact poses a real threat to the quality of education received by some of our state’s students. This bill will allow seasoned and experienced retired teachers to provide even more support in the classroom to help the dedicated but significantly short-staffed teachers and our students who deserve qualified, quality teachers,” said Representative O’Brien of North Providence.
Valverde meantime says the bill is a stop-gap measure to address a problem in need of long-term planning and investment.
The Governor is expected to sign the measure.
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