NATCHEZ — On Tuesday resigning Natchez-Adams School Board member Benny Wright said he was still concerned with the number of permanent substitutes in the district.

The district has approximately 16 permanent substitutes, and Superintendent Fred Butcher said all of them have college degrees but are not certified. Butcher said the permanent substitutes are receiving additional support from principals, academic coaches and the central office.

Butcher said the district does have a plan to fill some of those positions with certified teachers.

A school system in Louisiana facing budget problems recently announced a number of layoffs, and Butcher said he planned to send recruiters to attempt to attract some to Natchez.

Butcher said the district also has four student-teachers working toward certification. He said some of them are on track to be certified by the end of the semester.

By law, the district has to replace permanent substitutes with certified teachers when the option is available, Butcher said.

Trustee Benny Wright asked about instructors teaching outside of their certified area. Wright has mentioned concerns during recent school board meetings about the number of permanent substitutes in the district.

“I know they are supported with the academic coaches,” Wright said. “But the bottom line is our students are being exposed to math taught by an English teacher?”

Butcher said it was not productive to put an English teacher in a math classroom. If the district were looking for a math teacher and couldn’t find one, Butcher said he’d like for someone more closely aligned with math, such as a chemistry teacher.

Further, Butcher said the practice of hiring permanent substitutes is not something new in the district.

Board President Amos James Jr. said the district approved permanent substitutes under the previous superintendent. Trustee Phillip West said this year’s board has put fewer permanent substitutes into the classrooms than previous boards.

Butcher said the Mississippi Department of Education wants to see more certified teachers in the schools around the state. To get that, Butcher said the state was going to have to offer some incentives to make teaching more attractive to students.

“We are doing the best we can possibly do,” Butcher said. “The bottom line is teachers are in short supply everywhere.”

Trustee Thelma Newsome said hiring permanent substitutes is not a Natchez-only problem.

“Nobody wants to see children with a permanent substitute,” Newsome said. “But if it is the best option you have, then it is what you have to do.”

Also on the topic of staffing, Butcher said the district began the year fully staffed counting the permanent substitutes, but three teachers have resigned for other positions since the beginning of the year.

Both Newsome and West said the district needs to look into offering more competitive pay.

“If someone comes along with a better offer, (our teacher are) gone,” Newsome said.