Missouri COVID-19 relief funds are now available to reimburse substitute teachers, the governor's office recently announced.
There is a new allocation from the state's Coronavirus Relief Fund to support people who want to serve or recently began serving as substitute teachers in Missouri.
To help with the substitute shortage, the Missouri State Board of Education recently approved an alternative route to obtain a certificate to serve as a substitute teacher. Individuals who have a high school diploma or equivalent can now complete 20 hours of online training to be eligible for a substitute certificate. The training fee is $175, and the application fee is $50.
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will use the Coronavirus Relief Funding to reimburse any individual who has paid the application fee or online training fee from Aug. 18-Nov. 4, according to a news release from DESE.
The payment method used to pay these fees will be automatically credited. Substitute teacher candidates must submit applications and enroll in the online training program by Nov. 4 to be eligible for reimbursement. DESE will begin processing the reimbursements Nov. 5.
Substitute teacher candidates must also pay $41.75 for a fingerprint background check. Coronavirus relief funding is also now available for districts that choose to reimburse substitute teachers for the background check fee. The individual must have completed the fingerprint background check from March 1-Nov. 4, according to the news release.
To access these funds, the district will need to submit an online application to DESE with a list of individuals to be reimbursed. The application is due by Nov. 4.
"The substitute teacher shortage was a challenge our agency was working to address prior to COVID-19," Commissioner of Education Margie Vandeven said in the news release. "The pandemic has only exacerbated this issue. We are pleased that these additional options are now available to assists schools in providing onsite learning opportunities for Missouri students."