A parent raised a good question during last week’s Warren County School District board meeting – why are students being monitored in auditoriums rather than taught in classrooms?

The answer is simple. County schools often can’t find a substitute teacher to teach classes when a teacher is absent, leading to what are essentially big study halls. We all remember study halls. There wasn’t much learning going on there unless students were serious about their academics – and we know that definition doesn’t encompass all of the students in a big study hall.

Our problem is felt in rural counties across the commonwealth, and that’s one reason a statewide solution is needed.

We can boost substitute teacher pay, but that solution only goes so far. The application and hiring process takes forever when it comes to substitute teachers, a problem when a substitute is needed quickly. The difficulty navigating the process keeps some potential substitute teachers from applying in the first place.

Out-of-pocket expenses for background checks and training also discourage new substitute teachers. And, frankly, changes over the years in education that make it more difficult to discipline students discourage people from becoming either full-time or substitute teachers.

School board members have long talked about the teacher shortage plaguing Warren County as one reason to consider closing high schools. If we can’t attract qualified, full-time teachers, it stands to reason we would struggle to attract substitutes as well. That’s one reason state officials need to help rural counties like ours by making it easier to bring in new substitute teachers.