Many recent studies have revealed a dramatic increase in teacher absenteeism. Some findings indicate that absenteeism increases following collective bargaining agreements that provide a set number of days that employees may be compensated for illness. There appears to be a growing public reaction to such absenteeism. A New York study noted that substitute teachers are significantly less effective than regular teachers. This suggests that when regular teachers are absent, there is a cutback in student achievement. As the number of teacher absences continues to rise, so does the financial burden of paying the substitutes. Also, increased teacher absences mean a corresponding increase in the time and energy the principal spends with this problem. Too, teacher absences affect extracurricular activities, committee meetings, and conferences. Several partial solutions to these problems have been considered including requiring higher qualifications for substitutes, requiring contract teachers to have lesson plans ready for absence days, offering inservice preparations for substitutes, appointing a teacher to assist the principal in dealing with teacher absences, and rewarding good attendance by returning to the regular staff some of the money saved by good attendance. Several programs in school districts throughout the nation illustrate these and other methods for handling absenteeism. (Author/JM)