JAY — The Regional School Unit 73 Board of Directors on Thursday approved the current pay rate for substitutes for the second half of the school year.

Effective Jan. 1 through June 30, 2025, teacher rates will remain $130 per day (seven hours) with no college experience, $135 per day with two or more years of college and $140 per day with a bachelor’s degree. A half day is four hours or less.

Pay for long-term substitutes will be $140 per day with two or more years of college, $165 per day with a bachelor’s degree and $228.23 per day if certified.

For education technician substitutes, pay will be $115 for a six-hour day and $58 for 3.5 hours or less.

The hourly rate for other substitutes will remain $16 for food service and secretary, $18 for bus monitors and custodians, and $21 for bus drivers.

The amounts were approved by directors on Aug. 22 and also on Dec. 13, 2023.

In June 2022, directors approved increasing the pay for all substitutes and bus monitors for the school year, the second year in a row raises were approved.

In 2022, substitute teachers with no degree were raised to $130 per day; $6 more than in 2021 and $39 more than in 2020.

Those with two or more years of college rose to $135 per day; $4 and $37 more than in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Those with a bachelor’s degree went to $140 per day, $2 and $35 more than in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Long-term substitutes with two or more years of college received $140 per day in 2022; $2 and $35 more than in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Those with a bachelor’s degree received $165 per day, $6 and $39 more than in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Certified long-term substitutes rose to $221 per day, $11.63 and $15.74 more than in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

“We are just trying to keep up, trying to balance out, stay close to what everybody else is doing in the area,” Superintendent Scott Albert said in 2022.

In October 2020, Albert announced the district was in need of substitutes and had increased their pay due to COVID-19.

In 2020 the rates were $124 per day for those without a degree, $131 with two or more years of  college and $138 for those with a bachelor’s degree.

After 10 days in the same position, those with a degree would be paid $159 per day and those with two or more years of college, $138. Those who were certified would be paid $205 per day and the pay for education technician substitutes was $112 per day.

There was no discussion prior to Thursday’s vote.