Lehighton Area School District is planning a more personal approach to a problem that plagues schools across the region: finding substitute teachers who actually show up.

The school board will look to approve 20 new substitutes for the 2026-27 school year when it meets later this month, covering positions ranging from classroom teachers to nurses, secretaries and custodians. District administrators, however, are pushing a new strategy to hopefully keep those substitutes coming back.

Building principals are encouraged to personally reach out to each newly approved substitute, introduce themselves and offer a tour of their building before the person ever sets foot in a classroom.

“When we see somebody new on this list, and once they get approved, I’m a building principal reaching out to that new person and saying, ‘Hey, why don’t you come in and I’ll walk you through the building in case you ever end up substituting,’” Superintendent Jason Moser said. “I think that’s probably a personal touch that not many districts are taking.”

The logic behind the approach is straightforward. Substitutes who have a relationship with a building and its staff are more likely to accept assignments there than at an unfamiliar school.

“If 20 minutes of your time can get you a substitute to come in five times, that’s a total win as an administrator,” Moser said.

The shortage of available substitutes is not unique to Lehighton. Moser acknowledged the district’s pay is competitive with others in Carbon County, but that hasn’t been enough on its own to solve the problem.

“I don’t think it’s a question of pay,” Moser said. “There is a lack of substitutes. This is a real thing. There are people who, once they’re into a district, they’ll go there every day somewhere else. My point is, let’s try to get them here as frequently as possible.”

The new substitutes up for approval in August represent a mix of returning and first-time subs.

“A lot of these people have been substituting in the district,” Moser said. “Others are new. And one thing I wanted to point out is that even through the school year, you see people get approved as substitutes, and then we keep hearing that there are no substitutes. The question is, well, where did they go? They’re substituting somewhere.”

Among those up for approval in August are 13 substitute teachers, one substitute nurse, one substitute secretary/paraprofessional, one substitute secretary, one substitute lunch aide and three substitute cleaners and custodians.

The timing of the outreach effort presents its own challenge, Moser acknowledged, as building principals must wait until new substitutes have completed all required paperwork before scheduling a visit.

“If we can get them in here for a visit, we actually have a name with a face,” Moser said. “Because right now we just have a name.”