Posted on: Friday, May 3, 2002

Substitute pay corrected to $112.92

Advertiser Staff

The Department of Education now says it will start paying substitute teachers $112.92 a day for their work this school year — a raise for most of the state's 5,200 substitutes that will come months late.

The DOE owes substitutes an estimated $3 million to $5 million for work done since July 1.

The pay rate likely come as a disappointment to substitutes, though. The department yesterday said it would pay all substitutes $133 a day.

Now an interpretation from the attorney general's office and the governor's chief negotiator said the pay should be $112.92.

Substitutes have been earning between $97.90 and $113.20 a day based on teaching experience and education level.

DOE spokesman Greg Knudsen said the department likely will continue paying its most experienced substitutes the $113.20 rate and not give them a pay cut to $112.92.

As pay for regular DOE teachers increases under the terms of their contract, substitute pay will continue to increase as well. Substitutes should earn about $116 a day in the fall semester and $119 in the spring semester, Knudsen said.

The pay rate was approved last year and was supposed to start July 1, but it was never implemented because the DOE said it did not get money to pay for the raises.

The governor's office has said that money was provided through the collective bargaining agreement, but DOE officials say they still do not know where the money will come from.

The DOE will have to contact the estimated 5,200 substitutes who work in the DOE system to check their accounting records, Knudsen said.