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Vallecitos School District increases pay for substitute teachers

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

The Vallecitos School District increased the pay for substitute teachers.

A 4-0 school board vote Aug. 10, with one vacant seat, approved the pay increase. The daily pay is based on the substitute assignment length; the minimum pay was raised from $120 to $180 while the highest daily amount was changed from $160 to $190.

"We can be competitive with our neighboring districts," said Vallecitos School District Superintendent Maritza Koeppen, who is also the principal of Vallecitos Elementary School.

"To be competitive we have to approve this," said Vallecitos School District Board President Michael Darnley.

The daily pay for substitute teachers had been $120 for assignments of one to 10 days, $130 for stints of 11 to 20 days, $140 for periods of 21 to 40 days, and $160 if the substitute's assignment was for at least 41 days. Substitutes will now receive $180 per day for being in a specific classroom for up to 10 days and $190 per day if the substitution is for at least 11 days.

Coronavirus quarantine requirements have increased the demand for substitutes. "There's a shortage of substitute teachers," Koeppen said. "We have some challenges with getting classrooms covered."

The district currently has five regular substitutes. "We have some good subs who are loyal to Vallecitos and enjoy working with our district," Koeppen said.

Vallecitos Elementary School, which is the only school in the district, has 10 classrooms. If professional development activity requires the absence of multiple regular teachers, the preferred school strategy is to have five teachers attend the training in the morning and the other five attend in the afternoon, which will allow the five regular substitutes to take the classes that day. If all 10 teachers are absent due to the professional development training, additional substitutes must be obtained.

School board member Terese Kristensen is a retired teacher. Because school board members cannot be employees of the district, including substitute teachers, Kristensen was not required to recuse herself from the vote due to a potential conflict of interest.

Kristensen thus will not personally be able to fill in if a substitute teacher is needed, but she is allowed to utilize her contacts from her profession. "I do have some friends," she said. "I'll ask them."

 

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