The Division of Schools, Academics, Human Resources, Early Learning, Specialized Services and Superintendent Gothard want to extend our sincere gratitude to our Tier 2 substitutes, who have stepped out of their regular duties and into over 900 PreK-12 classrooms across the district since the fall. At the peak, Tier 2 subs filled in in over 200 classrooms the week of January 10 alone. We are immensely grateful for this extra effort, which often meant trying to complete their other work before or after their sub duties and on weekends. Thanks to them, we were able to keep the majority of our schools open for in-person learning and provide a level of continuity for our students that wouldn’t have been possible without their willingness to step in.

These Tier 2 subs came from departments all over the district in various roles, including TOSAs, supervisors, executive directors, directors and assistant directors, counselors, program managers and social workers. We are thankful that our need for these subs has decreased significantly, and Tier 2 subs will no longer be used on a routine basis. We also know that many school staff have gone above and beyond your normal duties to alleviate staff shortages in various areas; thank you for your Herculean efforts. We hope you are all seeing the improvement in staffing levels since January and that your days are getting closer to “normal” as well.

Thank you for all you do, every day, for your students and Saint Paul Public Schools.

In Partnership,

Kate Wilcox-Harris, Chief Academic Officer

Andrew Collins, Chief of Schools

Kenyatta McCarty, Executive Director of Human Resources

Lori Erickson, Assistant Director of Early Learning

Brenda Natala, Executive Director of Specialized Services

Joe Gothard, Superintendent