ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. (KLFY) -- In St. Landry Parish a $20 dollar pay increase for short term substitute teachers sets the goal to bring more certified instructors into the classrooms.

After dealing with both the teacher shortage and a substitute shortage in recent years, St. Landry Parish School Board member Anthony Standberry says the school board spent extensive time together and meeting with their finance director to find out how they can get more instructors to come substitute.

"A sub is just hard to get. People are not amped to come out and sub. So through that increase we are hoping that we are going to entice some people to want to come out and engage in the educational process for our children in order to take them to next level," Standberry.

Through their meetings, the board determined to increase the daily pay for short term substitutes from $70 to $90, a number Standberry feels can attract certified teachers to come in.

"I feel as though a certified teacher can provide more instruction or better instruction for our children than someone that's just off the street that's basically, what I would say, babysitting and keeping classroom management more than anything else," said Standberry.

While this pay increase will not affect long term substitutes, Standberry hopes this will be the start of a positive chapter with a positive impact on students.

"That's what we're shooting for, someone that's actually going to come in and do some instructing," Standberry explained. "A certified person should be able to provide some good instruction, come in and pick up a lesson plan from where a teacher left off and carry it out. The only thing I would like to do is invite certified people to come on and give our children an opportunity to progress."

With the increase going into effect on March 1, Standberry hopes this will open the door for more certified instructors to come make a difference in children's lives.

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