On Monday, the Minnesota Senate approved a bill to address teacher shortages by opening the door to more qualified substitutes. Chronic substitute teacher shortages have been exacerbated by the pandemic and have been an obstacle for some districts to getting students fully back in the classroom.

“Many of our school districts in Greater Minnesota are having extreme difficulty finding substitute teachers,” said Senator Dahms. “This bill gives our schools added flexibility to help meet the needs of our students.”

Senate File 819 addresses the shortage of substitute teachers for Minnesota schools by widening the pool of qualified applicants for “short-call” substitute teachers. Teacher shortages have been an issue, particularly for rural communities, even prior to the onset of COVID-19. The gap has been exacerbated by quarantines and other health-related absences, threatening schools’ ability to offer in-person instruction.

The provisions of Senate File 819 would be effective for this school year and the upcoming two school years. The bill is now awaiting action by the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Senator Dahms is in his fourth term representing Senate District 16 which includes communities in Brown, Lac qui Parle, Lyon, Redwood, Renville, and Yellow Medicine counties. He also serves as chair of the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee and Vice Chair of the Agriculture and Rural Development Finance and Policy Committee.