Greater Latrobe increases pay to compete for substitute teachers

Greater Latrobe School Board this week approved a list of 76 substitute teachers and also increased their pay rate to stay competitive with neighboring districts.

The board bumped daily pay for day-to-day substitutes from $90 to $110. Greater Latrobe business administrator Dan Watson said many other area districts already have been paying the higher rate.

“Surrounding districts were experiencing similar shortages in substitutes and were increasing their rates of pay as well,” he said.

The $90 rate applied for substitutes working for up to 29 days. If their stint filling in at the district extended for a longer stretch, they were paid $100 for each additional day, according to Superintendent Georgia Teppert.

To remain competitive in attracting substitute teachers, the district now will pay $120 per day for substitutes who serve in the same position, filling in for the same faculty member, for at least 20 consecutive days.

Covid subs remain

That higher rate also will be paid to “covid substitutes,” a category of substitute teacher that was created during the 2020-21 school year.

Teppert explained the district schedules five such substitutes every day at each of the district’s five school buildings, to step in at a moment’s notice if a covid-19 case or related contract tracing would prevent an instructor from being in the classroom.

“They can help out anywhere, we put them to work regardless,” Teppert said. “But, if a teacher needs to quarantine, that sub is already there and can go in and sit with the class.”

The covid substitutes provide supervision of a classroom, if needed, she said. If a teacher would be quarantined for any length of time, arrangements could be made for that instructor to work from home.

“Having the covid subs at the high school was definitely a tremendous benefit,” said high school Principal Jon Mains. “For the most part, we were pretty well covered.”

Also this week, the school board accepted the resignations of music teacher Michael Menzietti and elementary instructor Emily Tropeano, who accepted other jobs.

The board also hired six faculty members: Zachary Simms and Natalie Sarnese, both elementary teachers; Joel Trentin and Catherine Votovich, secondary social studies; Luke Shaffer, special education; and Amanda Pletcher, Title I.