Lehighton Area School Board is considering increasing its substitute teacher rates in response to concerns about being unable to attract substitutes.

During Monday’s workshop, district representatives presented data comparing their rates with those of nearby districts in the Carbon-Lehigh Intermediate Unit region.

Assistant to the Superintendent Mary Figura led the discussion, pointing out that neighboring districts, including Jim Thorpe Area, Panther Valley, and Pleasant Valley, offer higher starting rates for substitutes.

“As you can see, we are the lowest starting salary for substitutes in the Carbon-Lehigh area,” Figura told the school board.

She noted that while some districts use external staffing services, such as Educational Staffing Solutions, which take a percentage of substitute pay, others, like Carbon Career & Technical Institute, have structured their rates to increase based on the number of days worked consecutively.

For instance, CCTI pays $115 per day for substitutes working one to nine days, which increases to $140 after 10 days, and jumps to $200 after 15 consecutive days in the same classroom. The district also employs building substitutes who earn $150 per day.

Lehighton currently offers $110 per day for substitutes working one to 20 days and $120 per day for 20 or more days. By comparison, Jim Thorpe’s rates start at $120 and increase to $140 for those working 30-44 days, while Weatherly pays $130 for the first 20 days and $150 for 21 or more. Pleasant Valley and Panther Valley offer $160 per day, although a portion of that rate is allocated to the sub-service agency ESS.

Figura suggested that the board consider increasing Lehighton’s rates to at least $130 for the first 20 days, matching Weatherly, in an effort to remain competitive.

“We’re really struggling to try and get somebody to come here in the district,” she said.

Challenges in filling substitute positions

Board members and administrators acknowledged the broader statewide issue of finding substitute teachers, which has been exacerbated by COVID-19 and other challenges in public education.

“If you’ve ever gone in and served as a substitute teacher, that was one of the hardest jobs that you will ever find in public education,” Lehighton Superintendent Jason Moser said.

Figura also raised the possibility of adopting creative solutions, such as using prospective teacher emergency permits. Those permits, authorized under Act 86 of 2016, allow college students with 60 or more credit hours to work as substitute teachers.

“This is something that some of the districts around here are doing,” she said, adding that it could be a way to tap into a new pool of candidates, such as college students home on break or attending school part time.

Moser mentioned his previous experience in a district that raised substitute rates substantially, noting that “it didn’t really help.”

“When you get good subs, you want to take care of them because you want them to come back,” Moser added.

Next steps

The board ultimately requested that Moser conduct a deeper analysis of substitute pay rates and structures. Board President Joy Beers called for a detailed recommendation at a future meeting.

“It looks like there are different ways to structure it,” she said. “My request is to review the data and come back to us with a recommendation.”