What is a building substitute, a permanent sub or a floating sub?
A building substitute reports to the same school every day and covers whatever absences it has. DC Public Schools calls its School Building Substitute a full-time, school-funded job, reporting each day of the school year. Rochester, New York, says its building per diem teachers report to one school for up to 185 days. Many districts call this a permanent sub.
Checked October 31, 2026 against the sources below.
The everyday sub is the other kind: on the district's list, taking jobs in any school, one day at a time. DC calls this its K-12 Substitute Teacher, a job that is flexible in schedule and place. A long-term sub covers one class for weeks; in DC that is a pay status earned after 30 straight full days.
On a quiet day a building sub still works. Rochester says that with no sub work in the assigned building, the principal may give other duties in the building or send the sub to another school. Rochester's building subs are also offered the health and dental benefits its teachers' association's members get, on the same terms.
A floating sub, or floater, usually means a sub who moves from room to room, or school to school, wherever the gap is. We found no district page that defines it, and districts use these words differently, so ask the district what each of its sub jobs includes.
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Sources
- District of Columbia Public Schools: Substitute Teachers (opened October 31, 2026)
- Rochester City School District (NY): Per Diem Building Teacher (opened October 31, 2026)
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This answers a common question in general. Your district, school and state may differ, and their word wins. Up: All questions · Substitute teachers
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