Michigan schools may be leaning harder on subs. See your district’s shift in teaching staff. — from mlive.com by Jackie Smith

School districts across Michigan could be increasingly leaning on new and substitute teachers in the classroom, according to the latest K-12 staffing data tracked by the state.

Michigan’s Center for Educational Performance and Information updated staffing counts for districts through the current 2025-26 school year in late March, and the numbers largely confirm trends illustrated in other datasets.

The total number of teachers is on the rise ? with fewer sticking around more than a handful of years ? even as student enrollment goes down, and districts are continuing to use subs to fill in the gaps.

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From DSC:
One of our daughters obtained the credentials to teach in the elementary schools of Michigan. She was a very relational teacher and she taught at several schools over several years, but the straw that broke the camel’s back was when she taught at a school where:

  • They would have to evacuate the classrooms at times if a student was going through the roof (emotion-wise)
  • The students hit the principal
  • The students often didn’t listen to or obey her instructions — which constantly tested her patience and drained her energy
  • Many of the parents were not on the same team as the teachers — for a variety of complex reasons
  • …and for other reasons as well.

The system was discouraging. It was too much to bear. So the system lost another good teacher. 

Also see:

Michigan’s teacher shortage could be stabilizing, but data shows there’s a catch — from mlive.com by Jackie Smith

Michigan’s K-12 teacher workforce could be stabilizing, but schools across the state may be increasingly relying on educators working virtually or across multiple districts and those who are not fully certified, according to the latest data.

The Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University released its 2026 teacher shortage report earlier this month, which tracks hiring and vacancy trends, as well as what subjects are particularly impacted by fluctuations.

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Special education positions see the biggest vacancy rates
The vacancy rate for special education teachers is nearly double is nearly double the statewide average overall.

According to the report, more than 5% of special ed full-time equivalent positions were vacant in fall 2024.

MSU’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative attributed at least some of that to the higher attrition from teachers that special ed positions see compared to other disciplines.