Combatting staff shortages in Medical Lake schools

Appropriately, a recent workshop for future substitute teachers in Medical Lake was termed a “boot camp.”

That’s because the district continues to fight a battle to fill an ever-decreasing pool of people to fill in for regular classroom teachers who are either away ill, at classes or absent for any number of other reasons.

“Was it our original, unique idea, no,” Kim Headrick, director of teaching and learning said. Officials had heard of others, West Valley in Spokane Valley for instance, who offered the program that sought to accomplish a number of things.

The class had three focal points:

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