At their first regular board meeting of the school year, the Denair Unified School District Board of Trustees approved an increase to the daily and long term rate of pay for substitute teachers in hopes of attracting more eligible educators to Denair schools.
Prior to the Board’s approval, DUSD paid their substitute teachers $90 per day for the first 10 days of service and $100 per day for up to twenty days of service. This rate of pay was below average when compared to the county, which pays substitute teachers approximately $106.99 per day for the first 10 days and $111.92 for the 11th through 20th days of service.
As a result, the District often struggled to find eligible individuals to fill substitute teachers openings and even resorted to having school principals fill in on occasion.
“We were actually the lowest rate of pay in the county,” said Superintendent Aaron Rosander. “Now we are able to be more competitive and attract our favorite substitute teachers to fill more openings.”
At their meeting, DUSD increased the rate of pay for substitute teachers to an amount that is above the county’s average. The district will now pay substitute teachers $110 per day for the first 10 days and $120 for up to 20 days of service.
Although above the county average, DUSD does not have the highest rate of pay for substitute teachers. That title goes to Waterford School District, which pays substitute teachers $125 for the first 10 days, and $150 per day for up to 20 days of service.
Turlock Unified School District currently pays substitute teachers $120 for the first 10 days and $130 for the 11th through 20th day.
However, Superintendent Rosander hopes that DUSD’s own increase will bring a competitive edge to the district and bring in more substitute teachers.
“It was really a process of talking to substitute teachers and learning what it would take to keep them,” said Rosander. “We just realized that we were going to have to start paying more.”
The district merely approved an increase to substitute teachers’ rate of pay up until the 20th day of service. The rate of pay for services that exceed 20 days will remain unchanged at $193.86 per day.
