I am applying to be a substitute teacher. I learned today that the state of Washington charges an emergency certified substitute for each school district they apply for.
On top of paying us no benefits for subbing.
There is no guarantee that I will be able to work every day with any district.
I am a student who is enrolled in an alt routes to certification program. I can't afford the $68 fee for the emergency certificate in the first place.
I have been offered another position as a substitute and the state wants an additional $51 for an emergency certificate.
My previous job was a Franklin Pierce School District Paraeducator. A low wage job in a low paying district.
This separation of districts causes great inequality statewide.
If there is a teacher shortage, then drop the fee for substitutes. People who need jobs, or better jobs, don't have $68 to spend on a teaching certificate.
My guess when I get an internship I will have to pay another fee
Some districts, like Clover Park School District, pay for all the fingerprinting costs, while others make you pay for getting them and submitting them to the state.
Can't I get a public school job and simply be a state employee who can transfer all their credentials, salary, benefits, trainings etc between schools.
We have a separate and unequal system in Washington.
When I worked in Seattle as a paraeducator I could afford to buy a house an hour away in Tacoma.
Seattle Teachers can afford to buy houses in Seattle or at least King County.
When I got a job as a paraeducator in Franklin Pierce School District I took an $700 a month net pay cut. Meaning that as an employee of a Pierce County school district I couldn't afford to buy a house. Or at least qualify for a loan.
I would like all school district jobs to be fully state jobs that are paid fairly and not dependent on local school boards to struggle for money.