Many Michigan school districts are facing a crisis because they can't find enough substitute teachers making it difficult for schools to cope when there are absences due to illness or family emergency, or for those times when a teacher needs to be away for training.

Many tie the shortages to declines in the number of people pursuing teaching as a full-time career.

Those numbers fell from over 6,000 during the 2009-10 school year to around 4,500 during the 2015-16 school year, according to the Michigan Department of Education.

The decline is often blamed on increased demands, pay cuts, weakened bargaining rights, and cuts in salaries and benefits for teachers.