House passes bill to allow retired teachers to substitute

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — The Washington House has passed a bill that would allow retired teachers to substitute for up to 630 hours a year without losing retirement benefits.


The Longview Daily News reports (http://is.gd/OyBa9j ) the measure passed Monday on a vote of 96-1 and now moves on to the Senate.

State Rep. Ed Orcutt, R-Kalama, sponsored the bill he believes would be good for kids and school districts. He says it will put qualified teachers into classrooms while many districts are having trouble hiring qualified substitutes.

According to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 98 percent of principals indicated they struggle to find substitute teachers. As a result, 80 percent say they had to hire under-qualified people for the jobs.