Substitute teaching in South Dakota

Note: The following is taken from a letter recently sent by me via email to several elected officials in South Dakota regarding the state's current system - or arguably, lack thereof - for handling substitute educators.

Dear _______________,

My name is Aaron Robertson, and I moved to Sioux Falls from the greater Milwaukee area in Wisconsin back in August 2024. I hope all is well, and I thank you for your service and leadership.

I'm reaching out regarding what I see as an obstacle to those who may wish to serve our state's K-12 students as a substitute teacher and/or substitute special education paraprofessional in multiple districts/systems, and to propose, what is hopefully, a viable solution.

To begin, I've worked in K-12 education as a special ed para and sub teacher for eight school years now, since 2018. Prior, I held various roles in private sector business. Recently, I began applying to work as a sub educator in multiple public districts here in the state, to be met by the financial burden of needing to pay $50 to the DCI for a background check with each new application.

In Wisconsin, the state Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has a license category specifically for sub teachers. These sub teaching licenses in Wisconsin are typically good for three years, and each renewal of the license requires a fresh background check. The fee for this once-every-three-year-check is covered by the license fee paid by the applicant. The South Dakota Department of Education (DOE), on the other hand, does not have a sub teaching license category. Those wishing to serve as subs, then, must submit to a fresh background check with each new application to an individual district/system, regardless of how recently their last check was. In my particular case, I'm about to have 2-3 checks run within days of each other, and I plan on applying to more districts in the coming weeks. For those wishing to work as a sub teacher and/or sub para in service to multiple districts/systems, this can certainly present financial barriers. It can also needlessly inundate the DCI by having to run multiple checks on the same applicant; and it delays the completion of the hiring process, forcing families and the public interest to wait longer while would-be new hires are cleared by DCI.

Respectfully, I propose that the viability of the South Dakota DOE's abilities to institute a licensing process for subs and to take over the background check process be investigated. The Wisconsin sub teaching license and subsequent renewal also carries with it a modest training requirement, which professionalizes the pool of subs across the state, ensuring both a basic level of uniformed training and the abilities of districts/systems and the general public to quickly and easily verify the status of a license holder. Wisconsin's credential simultaneously qualifies the holder to work as a special ed para, as well.

For purposes of this letter and your valuable time, I'm somewhat simplifying various details here in order to begin a dialogue. Normally not a fan of expanding government-issued licensing and regulation systems, I believe a legitimate business case can be made here for all this. At your convenience, I would love to further share my experiences, insights, and observations with you, and/or members of your staff, and/or other state legislators. As South Dakota, particularly the greater Sioux Falls area, continues to grow and thrive, I see this as a great opportunity to streamline inefficiencies, knock down barriers, and expand the labor pool of qualified educators looking to serve the families of multiple school districts and systems.

I thank you so much for your time, the opportunity, and your service.

All the Best,

Aaron S. Robertson

Sioux Falls