The state Senate has passed amended legislation to address the shortage of substitute teachers in Rhode Island.
It temporarily removes the limit on the number of days that retired teachers can work as substitutes during a school year.
The bill was authored by State Senator Bridget Valverde of East Greenwich,
“This is a stop-gap measure to address a problem that needs long-term planning and investment,” said Senator Valverde. “Our state needs to do better to make teaching a profession that people want to enter, stay in and advance in. Teachers are so critically important to the success of our children, our workforce and our whole future, but the growing list of demands placed on them, without the resources and support they need to meet them, have often made their jobs much more difficult and draining than fulfilling. We need a genuine re-examination of the resources we are providing to schools, teachers and students to align them better with the results we want for our state’s students.”
However, retirees can only fill-in when schools have been unable to find other qualified educators to cover open position.
The bill now goes to the House for its consideration.