By Kyle Coppola
District Shares Keys To Successful Substitute Teacher Management
Building a culture that values substitute teachers helps ensure classroom coverage and a continuation of learning, even when full-time teachers are absent. That’s what Lake County Schools recruitment partner Jamie West and HR specialist Justine Michaud explain in The K-12 Culture Playbook, a publication recently produced by software company Red Rover, who specializes in school workforce management.
“If we want our substitute pools to stay strong (and our classrooms covered), we need to rethink how we engage these educators,” they wrote. “Feeling seen, supported, and included is a core part of workplace satisfaction – so why should it be any different for subs?”
Substitute teacher management is a key part of the roles Jamie and Justine play in the district. Along with recruiting employees, Jamie, a former substitute teacher, also oversees a recognition program that celebrates employees, including substitutes, with monthly gift baskets and social media posts. She also serves as executive director of the Substitute Management Advisory Council.
Justine was named the 2024-25 Substitute Manager of the Year at this year’s Substitute Management Symposium. This national award celebrates her leadership, creativity, and commitment to building a substitute program that works for schools and guest teachers.
The two recount in the article how the district’s substitute fill rates hovered around 70-80% a few years ago, but now sit at 95%. What changed? Culture.
“Feedback isn’t just about improving instructional practices,” they wrote. “It’s about building trust. When substitutes feel like their voices matter, they are more likely to return, stay engaged, and invest in the school community. Our subs feel valued, and they’re showing up.”
Lake County Schools is always looking for substitute employees to help ensure smooth day-to-day operations. Learn how to become a substitute in Lake at https://www.lake.k12.fl.us/page/substitutes
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
