APPLETON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The Appleton Area School Board unanimously voted to temporarily increase substitute teacher pay rates.
District officials say its available pool of substitutes is at 52 percent of where it was last year.
Appleton Chief Financial Officer Greg Hartjes tells FOX 11 they are desperate for teacher help.
“It’s a very challenging position to be in normal times. This is not normal times.”
The recommendation is to boost the pay during the first quarter of the school year.
Hartjes says the pay may be extended depending on the ongoing conditions of the pandemic.
“We know that this year is certainly bringing more challenges with staffing, requiring quarantining of staff members.”
According to the district, the pay for a regular substitute teacher would increase from $130 a day to $135.
For a long-term substitute teacher in the same position for 11 to 19 days, the pay would increase from $148 to $158 a day.
For a substitute in the same position for 20 days or more, the daily pay would increase from $190 a day to $210.
Additionally, pay for substitute paraprofessionals would increase from $11 an hour to $13.
For substitute special education teachers, the pay would increase from $13 an hour to $14.
Hartjes says he hopes this increase will set the district apart from other employers.
“We’re competing with a lot of other employers that pay in that range of $15-$20 an hour and so we’re hoping a little bit more per hour might make someone’s decision easier in terms of joining us rather than going out and working in another field.”
Other area districts who’ve recently raised substitute compensation rates say it didn’t help.
Menominee schools in the U.P. closed down Monday due to a COVID-19 outbreak among staff.
The district could not find substitutes to cover at the last minute.
In Appleton, Hartjes says they are making these decisions with the community in mind.
“We can’t have kids in person in school if we don’t have the staffing.”
Hartjes says the additional money needed for the increased pay rates is relatively small compared to other COVID related expenses for the school year.
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