A Quarterly Publication Of The Oregon Substitute Teachers Association

Spring Edition 2025

OSTA’s 50 Years and You!

Inside this edition you will find helpful and informative insights and hints: OSTA History, REN, Training, Unemployment, and more…

Cover Art

“Bass 50”

Copyright 2012, Jon Deshler

A celebration of 50 - made of a diverse bass collection of string bass instruments. In music the bass most often provides a solid foundation for the rest of the music. In this case we thought that this well represents the significant role that OSTA has now played for fifty years in Oregon Education. No Chat GPT was utilized in the creation of this image or Newsletter.

Stopping Pollution

By Arun

The sun is shining,
The sky is blue,
The birds are flying,
And the breeze is so cool.

Mother Nature is trying her best
To give nothing but beautifulness,
But what do we do?
Make her a mess.

Let's make her the best
By polluting less and less,
And preserve her green dress
For our kids and the rest.

*For educational purposes only

A Letter from our Vice President

From The Front Lines, a Letter from the VP.

Welcome to our second edition of "From The Front Lines,” OSTA's new, digital Quarterly Newsletter!

As we wrap up the school year in the spring of these trying times, we here at OSTA have been doing our best to support Oregon Guest Teachers while planning our Annual Fall Conference. Much of what we do is about support and advancement. With our every Thursday afternoon at 4:30 pm - "Zoom Office Hours" - we provide real time information, emotional support, legislative insights, regulation support, camaraderie, and more.

You get all of this and more with an OSTA membership, and we'd like to encourage everyone to join with our still historically low membership fees while they last.

Increasingly, we hear of malfeasance in the practices of bad or inexperienced actors in positions of management and authority over our profession that often leads to a lack of "due process.” At the same time it appears, more and more, that our function is being actively minimized. Shortages, outsourcing, and other things beyond our control all contribute to many of the problems substitutes can experience.

We at OSTA enthusiastically strive to promote an educational environment that is in partnership to support each and every student, parents, and staff to create the most seamless and positive learning environments that support students in capturing the best of themselves while on their own unique educational pathway to a successful 12th grade graduation in preparation for an internationally competitive world. 

This year our Fall Conference will be at the beautiful Eola Chemeketa event center just west of downtown Salem. We hope to enhance our annual meeting while expanding participation and collaboration around the state with all Oregon Substitutes. Please save the date Saturday, October, 11th, 2025. More information to come.

Included below is an introduction of the effort represented by the new Friends Of OSTA, actual Letters From The Front Lines, Helpful Links & Resources, and much more. 

Thank you for serving our communities and children!

Sincerely,

Jon Deshler

VP OSTA

The Bell, Book and Candle logo was instigated by OSTA President Merlyn “Mac” McGladery in about 1994. 

Founder’s Corner

Here is a “blast from the past” about how, originally, all substitutes had degrees in education, and were required to collect and track their own Professional Development Units.

Contributed by Phyllis Kirkwood

Did you know that when PDU's began, the method of license renewal for substitute teachers continued for several years to be 180 days of substitute teaching = to one year of full-time teaching? This was because OSTA convinced TSPC that working in various teachers' classrooms and doing the reflective thinking that substitute teachers do at the end of each day while writing a summary of the day IS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

Substitute Teacher of the Year News

On May 7, 2025 OSTA celebrated Oregon Substitute Teacher Day at the legislature in Salem. Sandy Volle and Catie Thurber-Brown had photo ops with their respective senators and representatives prior to being introduced during courtesies by their senators and representatives on the floor of the Senate and House.  Supporters of our outstanding substitutes (many of whom gave up a day of work to participate) included: Karen Sims, Evie Linstad, Leslie Polson, Von Christensen, Joyce Gifford, Bruce Beebe, Ron Brown and Mike and Sally Sue Cellers. To conclude our day of state recognitions everyone gathered for a wonderful time of camaraderie at the Marco Polo Global Restaurant.

Oregon Legislature Video Video of the announcement on the Senate floor.

Contributor, Substitute Teacher of the Year Chair, Sally Sue Cellars

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Friends of OSTA - A New Non-profit

By Mary Harvill, FOA Executive Board Member

Friends of OSTA is a newly formed non-profit corporate entity that exists to raise money to support Oregon substitute teachers across the State of Oregon and to support the activities and endeavors of the Oregon Substitute Teachers Association (OSTA).

The Friends of OSTA Board have applied to the IRS to be approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  This means that any financial contributions to Friends will be tax deductible.  Having the ability to receive a tax deduction is an important consideration for corporations, foundations and private individuals who make charitable contributions.  All money donated to Friends of OSTA will be used to directly support activities that will benefit all of Oregon’s valuable substitute teachers.

While OSTA is also a non-profit organization, financial contributions given to OSTA are NOT tax deductible because OSTA is classified by the IRS as a 501(c)(5) labor organization.  As a labor organization, OSTA has advocated for improving working conditions and regularly engages in lobbying to support its goal of bringing awareness to our local legislative representatives about what is happening in Oregon’s schools from the perspective of active substitute teachers.  OSTA has been on the forefront of establishing laws in Oregon that directly benefit substitute teachers: minimum pay rates, long term rates, wage increases.

Individuals who make financial contributions to OSTA are not permitted to receive tax deductions for financial contributions.  

Friends was formed to close this gap and will actively raise and distributing funding to OSTA as well as other entities in Oregon that are involved in activities relevant to education.    

Though their IRS classifications are different, OSTA and Friends of OSTA will continue to work together on issues of importance to Oregon’s substitute teachers.

To make a donation or for more information, please email ostasubs@hotmail.com.

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You can make a difference as an active OSTA Member.

With only, approximately, three hours a month, you can support OSTA, and support substitutes all over Oregon. If you are or have been a substitute, email ostasubs@hotmail.com about what you are interested in. Events? Procedures? Website analytics? We have board positions open and need them filled by this fall.

OSTA is the only organization in the U.S.A. voluntarily run by substitutes for substitutes.

Any help is welcome.

Print this flyer, and with permission, post it where you can.

ostasubs.org

Legislative News

The 2025 Legislative Session was Not Kind to Substitute Teachers

It has been a rough couple of years for Oregon substitute teachers. With outsourcing becoming more prevalent, TSPC's diverse licensure, and frequent disfunction, or malfeasant management of licensed subs in Oregon schools, OSTA continues to have work to address: employment, benefits, standardization, and pay for substitute teachers. In the 2025 Legislative Session, sadly no improvements were made.

In the 2023 Session, the legislature received funding for a Governor’s Joint Task Force on Substitutes to study current conditions, benefits, outsourcing, and trainings, in order to offer recommendations that address the maximization and functionality of the substitute teacher workforce. It should be noted that legislative systems ultimately incorporated only one Oregon substitute on the task force. The outcomes of the Joint Task Force were SB 322 and SB 323 which were sponsored by the Senate Committee on Education, chaired by Lew Fredericks (D). The task force meeting proposals were jointly supported by ESDs, School Boards, TSPC representatives, and other institutional representatives unfortunately, the Legislative process did not support the work of the task force, and the initiatives failed. There were hundreds, if not thousands, of hours involved in getting this Legislation into and out of Session. This four-year undertaking did result in some modest improvements in 2023, however, nothing came from all of the efforts of the Governor's Task Force in 2025.

The Oregon Substitute Teachers Association lobbied on behalf of all substitute teachers for the passage and funding of SB 322 and SB 323. This legislation did not have enough votes to move the Bills from the Senate Education Committee to the Joint Ways and Means Committee. Apparently, this outcome may have been highly impacted by funding processes at the national level.

What does this mean for substitute teachers?  WE HAVE MORE WORK TO DO!  In the future, OSTA will continue to support and advocate for the initiatives represented in SB 322 and SB 323.

The healthcare portion of these Bills was not supported given that too much burden would be placed on school districts to manage the hours worked for those substituting in multiple districts.  The health care also did not apply to outsourced substitute teachers.   

Here is a short list of Legislation issues for the interim 2026 session and 2027 session:

1.  Educator Discipline List:  Legislation that allows an educator to get off the publicly posted TSPC discipline list when appropriate.

2.  Pathways for restricted substitute teaching license conversion to a full, certified teaching license.

3.  Defining professional development for such pathways accounting for years of teaching experience.

4.  Due Process for all substitute teachers: avenues, procedures, and policies that provide Oregon substitutes with the same basic protections we find in most other workplaces.

OSTA would love to hear from you.

Please email ostasubs@hotmail.com with your suggestions.

Do not forget, we are here for you. Please come to our weekly Office Hours, designed specifically for those on the front lines. Every Thursday afternoon on Zoom, 4:30-5:30 PM.

Provided by Debbie Fery, Government Affairs Chair, OSTA

Messages from the Front Lines

Teaching Defensively

By President Leslie Polson

It was a hard day, and everything seemed to be going fine until that student came into your classroom and all of the energy changed.  Substitute teaching and getting the classroom to have a good day depend on habits that your "teacher brain" must learn to use.

As a substitute teacher, the unfamiliar is a familiar experience. Students, assistants, and office staff often stare at you, sizing you up for your magical skills. Can you perform? What is your speaking voice like? Do you have confidence, knowledge, expertise, and can you lead and make the day fun for students? Children test you to see what rules can be broken. You are the authority who must keep order among students while they think it's a "break rules day."

Substitute teachers often face various challenges, including safety concerns, student incidents, and district policies. Defensive teaching involves strategies for handling challenging situations. The value of an association like OSTA is in our collective ability to share personal experiences and insights and offer advice on navigating the education system. New rules designed to protect students from physical interaction have been implemented in the school system. It is a challenge to manage classrooms without administering an appropriate consequence when your blood is boiling. The first step has to be to maintain your calm and a level head. A student may run out of the classroom screaming, students may leave backpacks and other clutter that you trip on, or one student might throw something at another, or at you! Substitute teachers have gotten in trouble for grabbing students or incidental physical contact when trying to diffuse a violent situation. 

As a substitute teacher, you must plan for problems. When a substitute teacher steps into the school, she or he must write down all phone numbers to call in case of problems: the head secretary, student counselor, dean, etc. Ask if there are any emergency drills planned for the day, and make sure that the meeting location is obvious. Look for the emergency folders and make sure the materials are up to date. Make friends with your teacher neighbors and find out if there are any issues with any of the classes. In the secondary grades, there may be one particular period that is difficult. Find out if there are any particular management plans. In middle school, many teachers have a time-out desk in another classroom, or a  SEL, discipline, or alternative room.  In elementary schools, the counselor is your best resource. 

Keep copies of the lesson plan and any notes you leave for the teacher. Try to follow the lesson plan as closely as possible and let the classroom teacher know if there were any issues. Many teachers get in trouble for trying to stop fights or getting assaulted by students. Find out beforehand who can help before there is a problem. Bring a whistle or something that makes a loud noise to use in case you are alone. Do not force a student to do something they do not want to do. Some students have traumatic brain injuries and disabilities. This may trigger violent behaviors that are hard to control. If a teacher is assaulted by a student one should consider filing a workers' compensation form about the incident. Worker Compensation law has provisions and protections against retaliation.

For support and additional information join us at OSTA's Zoom Offers Hours every Thursday at 4:30 pm. 

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REN (Regional Educator Network)

By Karen Sims, OSTA Member

I wanted to share my experiences with REN (Regional Educator Network). For those of you who may want more information, please go to the WESD (Willamette Education Services District) website. From there, click on the Services or Department tab. Find REN and click on it to get the page. Once there, click on the left-hand side where it says Professional Development Opportunities. Currently, there are a few Zoom opportunities on the site.

The best part is, they will pay you to take these trainings. Most often, they are via Zoom and pay you $50.00 per hour. These sessions generally start after 4 PM, after work, when the school day is over. I have taken these trainings for the last few years, or so, and made several thousand dollars. The pay period is quarterly.

Opportunities pop up from time to time, so check frequently. Once you sign up for the newsletter, they can email you monthly and provide you information on upcoming sessions. Another way I check is through Instagram, if you have it, you can follow Southcoast2valley.ren. Upon signing up for REN trainings, you may, initially, be put on a waiting list. Some of these trainings have a spot for only 60 participants etc. Closer to the start date of the class, they will send you an email to let you know if you have been selected or not. Some of the trainings have pre-work to do and others require you to purchase a book, yet a stipend is always provided to pay for it.

Many of the books are written by Elena Aguilar. Some of her books include- “Onward”, “The PD Book”, and “Arise-The Art of Transformational Coaching”. They also offer Community of Practice sessions for Novice teachers, Mentors, and so on. These sessions may meet once a month for a year. Some trainings may be for a few hours and meet only once, others may meet three times.. they are all different. There may be some summer opportunities as well, such as through BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).

Though most of these trainings take place during the School Year. Some of the trainings I have taken include- “Artful Design-Facilitation”, “Learning Sparks-Whole Class Engagement”, Art of Transformational Coaching”, “Learning to Talk it Out”, “Increasing Student Collaboration”, and “Addressing Disruptive Behaviors”. I encourage all of you to take part in these valuable trainings.

Thanks for letting me share something I think is truly terrific with you! If you have any further questions, contact me, Karen Sims, by putting my name in the subject line of an email to ostasubs@hotmail.com. REN Zoom meetings are a great chance to meaningfully engage with other educators as there are many small group sessions within the Zoom meetings.

I look forward to seeing all of you on a future REN Zoom!

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REN link found on https://www.ostasubs.org/pdu-opportunities

UNEMPLOYMENT AND YOU….

Be careful!

For Oregon substitutes, receiving unemployment is a delicate proposition. With new software, Francis Online, and rapidly changing variables and circumstances state-wide, it can be difficult to navigate your way through the Oregon unemployment system.

OSTA is here for you…

Come to OSTA's Sacred OFFICE HOURS and connect with Oregon Substitutes on Thursday afternoons. Let's make a bridge together that can help drive positive change for Oregon students. 

New Members

www.ostasubs.org/shop/p/introductory-members

Existing Members

www.ostasubs.org/shop/p/membership-renewal

OSTA Email Address

www.ostasubs@hotmail.com

GUEST TEACHER GUIDEPOSTS

Helpful Hints and Wisdom…

Links & Podcasts

• Edutopia - expansive, for grades K-12, researched pedagogy

  Podcast found on Facebook and many popular audio formats

• Substitute Teacher Lounge with Greg Collins

  Inspiring workshops and articles

• Oregon Humanities “believes in the power of people in rooms listening, learning, and struggling together.”

• Share your ideas at ostasubs@hotmail.com

SURVEYS and POLLS

Join OSTA in becoming a resource for the collection of factual data and objective information provided by those of us on the front lines.

2025 Annual Fall Conference

Save the date, and stay tuned for more information and registration

Saturday, October 11th

We look forward to seeing you this year at our new meeting site at Chemeketa Eola conference center!