Unit 5 board set to act on substitute teachers pay raise

Posted on January 16, 2019
Unit 5
Unit 5 School Board members on Wednesday are scheduled to take final action on pay raises for substitute teachers. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Howard Packowitz

NORMAL – This is the day Unit 5 substitute teachers have been waiting for. At Wednesday night’s school board meeting, the board is expected to vote on a proposal to give substitutes their first raise in 18 years.

Details of the proposal have not been released. Substitute teachers currently make $80 a day.

Business manager Marty Hickman said he was developing a salary schedule providing teachers with financial incentives for working more days. Subs would get higher pay for working more than 15 days and receive another raise for working more than 30 days.

Like other districts, Unit 5 struggles to find enough substitute teachers.

Subs decided last summer to wage a public battle for more money when four of the teachers appealed to the school board.

The district earlier agreed to pay them twice a month like full-time teachers instead of monthly. They’re also receiving district email accounts and daily notices so they’re more attuned with what’s going on at Unit 5.

Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected]

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