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Saturday, August 04, 2007

Dear Slightly Less Valued Substitute…

The substitute teacher information packet arrived Friday afternoon from one of the school districts I used to work for.

Dear Valued Substitute…

Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year. Substitutes provide a valuable service to the district; one which is essential to the successful operation of our educational programs.

We could not continue our excellent instructional programs without your willingness to substitute in the absence of our regular employees.

We are still actively recruiting substitutes for our district. If you know of someone who is interested… blah, blah, blah….

Once again, welcome to the district for the 2007-2008 school year. We look forward to your participation…”

The only essential piece of information packet info I’m interested in this school year is: daily pay rate that is buried under “general information” toward the end of the “Substitute Teacher Handbook”

Because this district’s previous daily rate was slightly less than a neighboring district, I didn’t work for them very much last year. Instead, I opted to work in the neighboring district for obvious reasons.

It seems that other substitutes were doing the same, because half way through last year this district sent out a notice that they were increasing the daily rate to exactly match their neighbor district.

I guess it didn’t work because the information packet for this coming school year rescinded that increase back to the original rate.

Dear Slightly Less Valued Substitute…

Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year. Substitutes provide an approximate 4% less valued service to our district; one which is, evidentially, less essential to the successful operation of our educational programs this year.

We found that we COULD continue our excellent instructional programs with your willingness to take a 4% cut in pay to substitute in the absence of our regular, more valuable, employees.

Because we cut your daily pay rate back by 4%, we are saving money but are still actively recruiting clueless substitutes for our district. If you know of someone who doesn’t mind working cheap… blah, blah, blah….

Once again, welcome to the district for the 2007-2008 school year. We look forward to your continued participation…”

I guarantee there will be at least ONE substitute less this year.

4 comments:

Law and Order Teacher said...

Why is our education system in the shape it is? School systems notoriously make cuts in places they can ill afford, the classroom. I will bet that their admin. got their raises. It is nice that you have an alternative. Maybe that district ought to just cut out the middleman and ask the police to sit in the rooms. It will save them the trip later.

The MAN Fan Club said...

I think the rate here now is about $70 a day. Wash $65 when I started in 97'. An aide only made $40 so I NEVER took an aide's job.

TheMAN

Dr Pezz said...

We have four small districts in my area, and I'm in the largest. We pay the least and have trouble acquiring substitutes. Hmmm. Connection?

Great blog, by the way!

The Vegas Art Guy said...

$70/day? The lowest rate in Clark County is $90/day and that's for short term assignments.

Wow...