All nine school districts in Kane County are experiencing a shortage of substitute teachers and para professionals.

And that means all nine school districts are hiring.

The Kane County Human Resource Consortium presented to the Regional Office of Education that the need for substitute teachers and para professionals is urgent. KCHRC is a cooperative effort among the nine public K-12 school districts and the Regional Office of Education.

Some districts are requiring more than 100 substitutes each day.

Assistant Regional School Superintendent Deanna Oliver says the need to fill spots is real, and the opportunity for job-seekers is terrific.

“We are asking that you please apply to be a substitute through teachinkane.org,” Oliver said.

The requirements to serve as a substitute teacher are a Professional Educators License or a Substitute License.  To qualify for a Substitute Teacher License, the minimal requirements are a bachelor’s degree in any content area from a regionally accredited college, successful completion of a basic skills assessment test (five-year grace period), background check and specifications required by the individual district.

To serve as a paraprofessional or paraprofessional substitute, an applicant should have a Professional Educator License, Paraprofessional License, or Substitute License. The minimal requirements for a Paraprofessional License are a high school diploma and 60 or more college credits from a regionally accredited college, or successful passing of either the Paraprofessional Assessment test or WorkKeys test.  

To register for the ParaPro Test, visit the ROE’s registration system here.

If you have questions concerning licensure or applying for jobs as a substitute or paraprofessional, Kane County Regional Office of Education is available by phone at 630-232-5955.

• This article was written by Ellen Kamps of the Kane County Regional Office of Education. Sign up for the Kane County Regional Office of Education’s newsletter here.