Permanent subs provide a temporary solution to shortages.
The Detroit Public Schools plans to scour the globe to chip away at a shortage of certified teachers. At 1,100, the deficit stands at an all-time high and could soon climb past 1,400. The district also is eyeing a plan to return some certified teachers who now fill nonteaching positions to the classroom. But some teachers, administrators and union officials say the district is overlooking other ways to attack the worsening problem, such as working harder to retain teachers already on the payroll and helping 1,000 so-called permanent substitutes get certified and thus better prepared to lead a classroom. Garrison said the shortage is the highest the district has ever had.