NC substitute teachers aren’t getting paid, but they can get federal jobless benefits
North Carolina substitute teachers who haven’t been getting paid while schools are closed during the coronavirus pandemic can now file for unemployment benefits.
Only a small group of substitute teachers — those who work more than 30 hours a week — have been eligible for state unemployment benefits. But substitute teachers can get assistance under a federal program created to provide COVID-19 relief to independent contractors and self-employed workers who aren’t eligible for state unemployment benefits.
“It’s been nice to have that assistance,” Hunter Tharpe, a substitute teacher for Iredell-Statesville Schools, said in an interview with The News & Observer.
School districts rely on substitute teachers to fill in when regular classroom teachers aren’t able to work.
Regular teachers are still getting paid because schools have been providing remote instruction to students while the buildings are closed. But many substitute teachers nationally are going without pay, Education Week reported.
“During this closure, the school system has continued to utilize a few substitute teachers for specific reasons such as a teaching vacancy,” Nathanael Shelton, a Johnston County school spokesman, said in an email. “The school system has not encouraged substitutes to apply for unemployment or guaranteed them compensation during this time period.”
Substitute teachers going unpaid
Subs with a teaching license are typically paid $103 a day. Those who don’t have a license are typically paid $80 a day.
A considerable amount of money is not getting into the hands of substitute teachers, and it’s having a real impact on their lives. For instance, the Wake County school system says the school closures have saved it $4 million in substitute teacher pay.
John Thompson said he had hoped to use the money he got this semester from subbing in Rowan-Salisbury Schools to help pay for community college classes. He’s trying to keep his teaching license current so he can get a full-time teaching job.
“The regular teachers are at home getting paid but substitute teachers are out of luck,” Thompson said in an interview with The News & Observer.
Most substitute teachers are called in when needed. This means they don’t meet state eligibility requirements of working at least 30 hours a week to get unemployment benefits. Many school districts have limited the hours substitutes can work to avoid paying them health benefits under the federal Affordable Care Act.
COVID-19 aid for substitute teachers
But the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act expanded who could get unemployment benefits. The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program provides money for the states to give to independent contractors, including substitute teachers.
Substitute teachers just need to show they’re unemployed directly due to COVID-19 and aren’t eligible for regular unemployment insurance, according to Larry Parker, a spokesman for the state Department of Commerce.
People can file an unemployment claim by going online at des.nc.gov, which may be another challenge. People have reported problems with the website and extensive delays getting unemployment benefits from the state, The News & Observer has reported.
People can also call the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance line at 866-847-7209.
Durham Public Schools has told substitute teachers who’ve asked about it that they may file for unemployment, according to Chip Sudderth, a district spokesman.
Tharpe, the substitute teacher, said he learned about Pandemic Unemployment Assistance from his school district. He worked as a sub for three days a week while pursuing his degree to become a licensed social studies teacher.
Tharpe said his girlfriend, who subs in the Hickory area, also qualified for the pandemic assistance. He said he’s using the money from his benefits to help businesses in Statesville.
“I’m going to local restaurants, not the fast-food places,” Tharpe said. “I want to support the local businesses.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 12:59 PM with the headline "NC substitute teachers aren’t getting paid, but they can get federal jobless benefits."
