Q. Can Title I funds be used to pay for substitute teachers?
A. Using Title I funds to pay for substitutes would generally be allowable under the following circumstances:
- In Title I programs (schoolwide or targeted assistance), the substitute funds (salary and benefits) would be allowable for Title I funded staff at the school level. The funds would need to be budgeted in the school’s plan.
- The funds may be used to provide substitutes for any certified teacher in the Title I school to attend professional development activities written into the school’s plan.
- The district would need to look at its general policies for funding substitutes and make sure that the Title I funds are supplemental to the funding given to schools to hire substitutes.
Any long term or extended leave programs for staff requiring substitutes need to have approval of the SEA.
Q. How long can a substitute teacher be utilized to provide Title I services?
A. The use of substitute teachers for Title I is primarily intended to be short term to allow Title I personnel to attend professional development or when ill. Once a teaching position has been vacated, it is no longer appropriate to hire someone as a substitute teacher. If there is no highly qualified teacher under contract, then there is no one to substitute teach for. Any staff assigned to teach in a Title I school must be highly qualified.
Q. Are Title I teachers in a targeted assistance school allowed to substitute teach in a regular classroom?
A. Title I personnel may be assigned substitute teaching responsibilities, but only under certain circumstances as there are certain regulations that must be followed. Title I personnel should not be in the pool of staff available to substitute. Title I personnel should only be asked to substitute if no other staff are available and should only be on an incidental basis. Substitute teaching may only be performed by Title I personnel during non-teaching periods, for example, during planning periods. Title I classes may not be canceled in order for personnel to substitute teach in the regular classroom. If Title I personnel only teach three days a week, then it would be permissible to substitute teach, on an incidental basis, the other two days of the week.
