The Butler Area School District is asking state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, for help in allowing former teachers with inactive certifications to work as long-term substitute teachers.

Superintendent Brian White told school board members Monday that he wrote a letter to Hutchinson, asking him to add an amendment to Senate Bill 1216 to allow former teachers whose teaching certifications have been inactive for five years to be eligible to work as long-term substitutes.

Act 48 requires teachers to earn six credits of collegiate study; or six credits of continuing professional education courses approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Education; or 180 hours of continuing professional education programs, activities or learning experiences through a department approved provider; or any combination of those requirements every five years to maintain an active certification.

The district needs relief from Act 48 because inactive teachers can now only work as substitutes for up to 90 days and there is a limited number of substitutes available, White said.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Tuesday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full articele