LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Some students at duPont Manual High in Louisville walked into class to find their substitute was a familiar face.
Councilwoman Donna Purvis was stepping in for a teacher who was out, hoping to encourage others to substitute teach as well amid the teacher shortage.
What You Need To Know
- Councilwoman Donna Purvis is filling in as a substitute at duPont Manual High School
- JCPS had 176 classroom vacancies at the time, on top of maternity leave, sickness and other absences
- She hopes she can inspire others to become substitutes as well amid the teacher shortage
- JCPS is still accepting substitute teacher applications for this school year
Donna Purvis is a Louisville Metro Council member representing District 5. Lately she’s been playing double duty, serving students and her constituents.
What she has found is that the two roles are not as different as they may seem.
As a councilwoman, when she sees a problem in the community, she said she tries to find an answer. Here, she noticed Jefferson County Public Schools had to close for several days because of teacher shortages amid the omicron surge.
Right now, JCPS reports 176 classroom vacancies. Many of those are ECE teaching positions. Those are openings on top of maternity leave, sickness and other absences. With that, district officials say they need all the substitute teachers they can get.
“I’m just a public servant at heart,” Purvis said. “Whether I am serving constituents or serving students, it’s what I do. It’s all I want to do ever is just give back.”
During her week at duPont Manual, she was working with students in the Journalism and Communications magnet. With that, the students work pretty independently on a variety of projects and publications.
You could find Purvis asking students about their work. Students like Anna Schroll were happy to show the councilwoman their hard work, like the One Blue Wall magazine.
“I had never been able to meet a councilwoman or anything like that. Letting her see how creative we are and everything we have been doing, I think, is really valuable. It means a lot that she is here,” said Schroll.
This isn’t her only class at Manual, and Purvis is not her only substitute this week.
“Of my four classes yesterday, three of them were substitute teachers,” said Schroll. “At least once a day I have a substitute with teachers being out sick and for other reasons.”
When the final school bell rings, Purvis’ job is far from over.
“When I leave school, either I go to my office or go to my office at home, so I am in WebEx meetings, committee meetings, sometimes until 7:30 or 8 p.m,” said Purvis.
Despite the long hours, Purvis said she really enjoys working with the students, and feels she gets just as much out of it as they do, if not more. She hopes this will inspire others to become substitute teachers as well.
“Help JCPS help your children,” said Purvis.
JCPS is still taking substitute teacher applications for this school year. Minimum qualifications include:
- Kentucky Emergency Substitute Teacher Certification (instructions to get a certification will be sent by the JCPS Substitute Center)
- 64 semester college credit hours from an accredited college with a 2.45 GPA
- Experience working with school-age children
Purvis said the application process did not take too long and was rather seamless. You can find more information and fill out an application here.