A week ago New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a new program to help the state’s schools and child care facilities stay open in the wake of staffing shortages caused by the current flood of COVID-19 cases, especially those of the more recent Omicron variant.
The initiative is called Supporting Teachers and Families (STAF), and according to a January 19 press release issued by the governor’s office, the program “encourages state workers and National Guard members to volunteer to become licensed as substitute pre-K-12 teachers and/or child care workers and work where they are needed to keep doors open for in-person learning and child care.”
The Goal of the STAF Initiative
The goal of the STAF initiative is to prevent the disruptive pendulum swing between in-person and remote learning.
“The additional staffing will allow schools to avoid the disruptive process of switching between remote and in-person learning and prevent child care programs from having to shut down altogether,” states the press release.
Since the New Mexico winter break, approximately 60 school districts and charter schools have moved to remote learning and 75 child care centers have either partly or completely closed because of staffing shortages caused by the current Covid Omicron wave.
As a signal of how serious the potential is for school and child care facility closures, the governor herself has signed up for the STAF program. According to an article posted at CNN.com, the governor’s participation in the initiative as a licensed substitute teacher has been confirmed by her press secretary Nora Sackett.
The bottom line for Gov. Lujan Grisham is keeping New Mexico’s classrooms open. She says in the press release, “’Our schools are a critical source of stability for our kids – we know they learn better in the classroom and thrive among their peers. Our kids, our teachers and our parents deserve as much stability as we can provide during this time of uncertainty, and the state stands ready to help keep kids in the classroom, parents able to go to work and teachers able to fully focus on the critical work they do every single day in educating the next generation.”
Omicron Cases Continue to Rise
The STAF initiative is an important aid in helping schools and child care facilities to remain open as Omicron continues to sideline administrators, teachers and child care workers.
In Lea County on Tuesday, January 25, 110 new coronavirus cases and one new death were reported, bringing the county’s total to 18,894 reported cases with 302 deaths.
The picture statewide is grim, as well, with a 61% increase in COVID-19 cases within the last two weeks.
According to New Mexico Department of Health modeling, the latest coronavirus surge is expected to peak within the next week. This means that the need for replacement teachers and child care workers will not diminish for some time.
Hobbs High School Welcomes National Guard Substitutes
Hobbs High School is one of the first schools in the state to welcome substitute teachers who have responded to the governor’s cry to fill the current staffing shortage gap.
On Monday, January 24, National Guard Specialist Cassandra Sierra and Sgt. 1st Class Clarence Galassini, both from Roswell, substituted in the school’s keyboarding and veterinary science classes.
20,000 Are Eligible to Participate in the STAF Initiative
Some 20,000 state workers and National Guard members are being asked to consider signing up as volunteers for the program. Strict requirements must be met before an applicant will be accepted.
New Mexico Department of Education Secretary Dr. Kurt Steinhaus estimates that 800 to 900 substitutes will be needed to fulfill statewide staffing shortages.
According to an article posted at KRQE.com, whether National Guard members are in uniform or in civilian clothes will remain the decision of each school’s principal; they, however, will not be armed. In addition to teaching, STAF substitutes “may also help schools with nursing needs and contact tracing”.
Screening for STAF Substitutes
Multiple state agencies and school districts are coming together to facilitate the licensing process for substitute teachers and child care workers.
New Mexico National Guard Brig. Gen. Miguel Aguilar told KOAT Action News that all volunteers who wish to participate in the program must fill out an application, pass a background check and complete an “online substitute teaching workshop”.
These requirements parallel the ones that are demanded of regular substitute teachers. “We really just need to be whatever it is that our state needs us to be,” said Brig. Gen. Aguilar.
Funding for the STAF Initiative
According to an article posted at KRQE.com, school districts will not have to pay for STAF substitutes.
State workers participating in the program will be paid administrative leave, and National Guard participants will be considered as being on “active duty” and paid, as normal, by the National Guard.
How to Apply for STAF
Steps for state workers and National Guard members to follow to attain a substitute teacher’s license are available online.
Those wanting to substitute in childcare programs may fill out an application online at the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department website (the application fee is waived until March).
In addition to state workers and National Guard members, the state is also encouraging private citizens to participate in the STAF initiative. Keeping New Mexico’s schools and child care facilities open is important to everyone.
