DEERFIELD – Substitute teachers at Frontier Regional School may be getting bumps in pay, as the regional school committee is expected to vote Tuesday to increase the daily rate from $75 to $80 to be consistent with other substitute pay in the area.
Interim Superintendent Darius Modestow said substitute teachers at Frontier, which serves students in grades 7 through 12, is based on a 6¼-hour day, meaning they make $75 for a day’s work at $12 an hour. He said when it is raised, the rate will equal $12.80 an hour. Under the state minimum wage law that went into effect Jan. 1, Modestow said, Frontier is not required to change its rate until next year, but he wants all substitutes in the Frontier Regional and Union 38 school districts to be paid equally.
He explained the substitutes’ rate at the four Union 38 elementary schools (Conway Grammar and Whately, Deerfield and Sunderland elementary) is based on a 6½-hour day. This means a sub makes $75 per day, or $11.54 an hour. Modestow told Brenda Antes, the bookkeeper for the elementary schools, to adjust payroll to $80 a day, or $12.31 an hour, for elementary school substitute teachers. He said this change was made to be compliant with the new law, but the school committees of Deerfield, Whately, Sunderland and Conway will still vote on the increase anyway. He said the 15-minute difference in the length of school days at Frontier Regional and the Union 38 elementary schools is the reason Frontier Regional is not legally obligated until next year to pay substitutes more. Still, Modestow wants there to be continuity across his schools. He said substitute teachers are a precious commodity.
“They’re invaluable. They are so important to keep the schools going,” he said. “A positive substitute keeps the class moving forward when a teacher’s out. With flu season and that kind of thing, you need a quality group of people you can trust with the kids.
“They become part of the staff, especially during the winter months, when flu season’s high,” he added.
Modestow said there are two pools of substitutes – one for Frontier Regional School and one for the four elementary schools. He said for each individual school, there are roughly a half-dozen substitutes used regularly. Modestow said these individuals build important relationships with the students.
The interim superintendent said the districts are always looking for more substitutes. Anyone interested can call the central office at 413-665-1155.