Directors approve pay increase
for SAD 1 subs
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
MAPLETON — Substitute teachers in SAD 1 will now be paid a little bit more thanks to a decision by the board of directors.
At the Oct. 17 board meeting, held at Mapleton Elementary School, directors approved a pay increase of $10 bringing the rate from $65 to $75 per day.
“The $65 rate for short-term substitutes has been in place since 1998,” said Superintendent Gehrig Johnson. “By policy it is set at $65 a day, and it’s been in effect for the past 14 years.
“We do require a degree for our long-term substitutes, those who substitute 10 days or more for the same teacher,” he said. “We prefer that they are certified, and after the 10th day they are paid at the appropriate annual teacher salary rate, usually about $160 per day, retroactive to the first day.”
Johnson acknowledged that short-term subs are paid at a lower rate than SAD 1 employees in any job category. He also pointed out that the $65 figure is in line with teacher substitute pay in surrounding school districts.
Director Paul Saija said he had been thinking about an increase after talking to two current substitute teachers.
“One of them lives in an outlying community, and he said with the cost of gas, it ends up costing him $10 just to travel to Presque Isle to sub,” said Saija. “He thinks a $10 a day pay increase would be something we should consider.
“I’m thinking a small increase because of the price of gas — and the fact that it’s been 14 years since we increased it — would be appropriate,” he said. “That being said, with our financial situation, I don’t know if we can financially handle it.”
Johnson said there is a “budget line” that’s targeted for substitute teachers.
“We make an estimate of what our yearly substitute requirement might be, and we adjust it from budget year to budget year,” he said. “If you were to raise the rate $10, for example, we could probably handle it, depending on the type of flu season we experience in 2013. It’s not an exact science; we build in an amount and hope that covers it, and in most years we don’t overextend the account.”
After additional discussion, the board approved the $10 per day pay increase.
