Mondays and Fridays are typically the worst days of the week for Leechburg Area Superintendent Dave Keibler.

That’s when teacher absences tend to spike and Keibler’s team has to cover classrooms as best they can without affecting the 750 students across the district’s three schools.

Leechburg Area is not alone.

More than 80% of districts across the state report a shortage of available substitute teachers, according to the PA Principals Association. The state Department of Education does not track the number of substitute teachers working in the state, but experts agree the shortage remains.

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Source: TRIBLIVE, Oct. 15, 2026.