TEACHERS TAKING TIME OFF FROM THE CLASSROOM

The number of days taken off by teachers during the school year is not an area of particular concern according to an Orange County Department of Education official. What is of concern is the problem of how to replace these individuals, often on short notice, when the pool of fully-accredited replacements is limited.

Part of the reason for the dearth of replacements is the recent enactment of more stringent teacher certification requirements, which has effectively reduced the number of qualified substitutes. Add to this the fact that the number of individuals entering the teaching profession, overall, has dropped or leveled off in recent years, and the problem is amplified.

School Full-Time Average Number Cost of Substitute Teachers of Days Teachers for Off per Teacher* School Year 1987-88 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICTS Anaheim City 517 ** $518,195 Buena Park 159 8 $143,580 Centralia 172 22 N/A Cypress 175 N/A $146,420 Fountain Valley 240 N/A N/A Fullerton 431 N/A N/A Huntington Beach City 213 5 $70,000 La Habra 181.5 11.33 $198,305 Magnolia 208.7 5 $122,000 Ocean View 356.2 8 $383,687 Savanna 80 13.4 $80,450 Westminster 318.1 15 $358,843 Yorba Linda 73 9.88 $64,220 HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICTS Anaheim High 910 N/A $949,361 Fullerton High 460 N/A N/A Huntington Beach 712.4 5 $748,951 Union High UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS Brea-Olinda 176.7 6.528 $150,838 Capistrano 920 N/A $658,000 Garden Grove 1,476 N/A $1,374,058 Irvine 841.8 10.1 $886,723 Laguna Beach 100 7.9 $54,128 Los Alamitos 263.4 N/A $325,145 Newport/Mesa 764.7 N/A N/A Orange 1,049.7 15.54 ***$1,616,323 Placentia 749.4 4.9 $275,000 Saddleback Valley 911.9 N/A $921,455 Santa Ana 1615.3 N/A $1,898,333 Tustin 390.2 N/A N/A

*This figure includes personal time off, sick time and school sponsored activities that take the teacher out of the classroom (i.e. academic conferences)

** 372 teachers took 10 days off; 93 teachers took 10.5 days off.

***A strike resulted in higher than usual teacher replacement costs.

N/A Information not available

Source: Orange County Department of Education