State workers can use 24-hours of paid community service leave to help ease K-12 staffing shortages

State employees can now use volunteer days to work as substitute teachers, bus drivers and cafeteria workers under a plan developed by Gov. Roy Cooper.

The governor announced the plan to combat K-12 staff shortages brought on by a surge of COVID-19 cases. The strategy is intended to keep students in classrooms for in-person instruction where the experts say they learn best.

“It is critical that we keep children learning in the classroom safely,” Cooper said in a statement. “This policy will encourage state employees to lend a helping hand to our students at a time of severe staffing challenges for our public schools.”

Under the directive, state employees can use paid leave to serve as substitute staff in schools while also keeping any compensation they earn as substitutes. The State Human Resource Commission’s Community Service Leave Policy states that full-time state employees are eligible for 24 hours of paid community service leave each calendar year. The leave may be used by state employees with supervisor approval.

Read more: https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2022/01/12/state-workers-can-use-24-hours-of-paid-community-service-leave-to-help-ease-k-12-staffing-shortages/