SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Independent School District is in desperate need of substitute teachers due to COVID cases in the city reaching record numbers. The district is increasing pay in order to entice people to apply.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 300 teachers were absent on the first day back after the holiday break

  • Substitute teachers can get paid $200 a day depending on their experience

  • SAISD is holding job fairs throughout the district

Ralph Cortez has only been retired for a few years and is now jumping back into the hiring pool because that passion he had for teaching is still burning bright inside of him.

“I retired in December of 2019," said Cortez.

After hearing about the need for substitute teachers within SAISD, he decided to come out of retirement.

“So I said I might as well go back to work. They need people like me. I have experience and I have the skills and I have the knowledge that they need for me to do," said Cortez.

That's what SAISD hopes others will do too. On the first day back after the holiday break, they had more than 300 teacher absences. 

To entice people into applying, they've increased the daily pay for subs. Some can get more than $200 a day, depending on their certifications.

“The focus is looking for substitute teachers to fill in for those teachers who are out because of illness or because they have other commitments," said SAISD's Arnoldo Gutierrez II.

Gutierrez said they are going around to different schools in the district holding job fairs.

“In order to recruit substitutes that are in the area that are familiar with our community, familiar with our schools and familiar with what is happening in the community along with the students," said Gutierrez.

Cortez left after his interview feeling hopeful.

“It went really well. They’re even interested in me being a full time teacher again," he said. 

He said that passion for teaching started at a young age.

“I was helped a lot by teachers when I was in high school. I lost my mom at a very young age, so I lived with guardians. The teachers became almost like my guardians. They went out of their way to help me out when I was growing up, so it wasn’t hard for me to become a teacher," said Cortez.

His goal is to pay it forward for the students he might be teaching soon.