Schools

Per-Diem Rate Could Increase for Substitute Teachers

The district is considering increasing its substitute teacher rates in 2012-2013

The per-diem rate for substitute teachers in Hillsborough could increase $5 to $6 under the 2012-13 budget, as the district acknowledges higher pay in other districts draws teachers to other towns.

According to Scott Rocco, the budget includes a recommendation to raise the district’s per-diem rate for substitute teachers and substitute instructional aids. The rate, which is now $80 per day, has remained constant for about a decade, according to Rocco.

“At this point, we’re starting to experience the fact that subs can sub in other districts and they’re going to go to other districts,” Rocco said. “There’s a recommendation to increase that. What it will be we’ll know once we go further in the budget process.”

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It’s something Hillsborough Education Association President Barbara Parker supports, though she noted that substitute teachers are not members of the HEA. According to Parker, other school districts in the area offer larger per-diem rates, making a day there more attractive than one in Hillsborough.

“Although we have a huge list of substitutes, many, many of them are not available for substituting when called,” she said. “...We also pay less than many of the surrounding districts. If people are called in the morning, they would prefer to go to Montgomery or Bridgewater or Branchburg.

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In addition to increases in the per-diem pay for substitute teachers and substitute instructional aides, the district will also look toward increasing its rates for substitute lunch aides and nurses.

“We’re looking to raise that rate based on what is tentatively budgeted at $60,000, it’s somewhere that’s about $5 or $6 more a day for our teaching subs and our classroom assistant subs,” Rocco said. “That also includes an increase in our lunch aide rate. We are probably going to go over the $8 mark on that, and a slight increase for our nurses. What that’s going to be, I have to work out those numbers at this point.”

The district’s tentative budget—which is subject to change before a final vote on it on March 26—includes $60,000 for substitute teachers, Rocco said. The district determined the budget for substitute teachers by analyzing its staff absences during the first five months of the current school year, and doubling it. The resulting figure is close the average number of staff absences seen a year prior, Rocco said.

Many of the district’s substitute teachers are college students, who aren’t available year-round—most only have open availability during college breaks, Parker said.  The resulting shortage forces the district to draw on regular teachers to cover the vacancies when the district can’t find a substitute teacher.

“What’s happening is that, on a daily basis in our schools, our teachers are being paid extra to cover classes during their preps, during their lunch periods,” Parker said. “They’re not paid extra if it is during their duty period, but we are told over and over we need teachers on those duties to have the smooth running of the school and safety and security of the students.”


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