The Conroe ISD board of trustees unanimously voted to increase substitute teacher pay by $10 a day during a Nov. 16 regular meeting. The new pay rate will go into effect Jan. 2.
The new short-term pay rate is $105 for degreed substitutes and $115 for degreed-certified substitutes. The new long-term pay rate is $130 for degreed substitutes and $140 for degreed-certified substitutes.
The increase in substitute pay will have an estimated overall cost increase of $300,000 for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
“It will put us in a very competitive place compared to our surrounding districts,” CISD Chief Financial Officer Darrin Rice said during the meeting.
According to CISD documents, the substitute teacher job fill rate has been below 69% for a majority of the school year. Roughly 16% of eligible substitutes have worked this school year.
According to the district, when substitutes are not available, absences are covered by other employees and administrators—in addition to their regular tasks. By increasing the substitute daily pay rate, the district will be able to provide needed coverage when teachers are absent, district officials said.
“I really think this is not only an investment in our substitute teachers,” CISD Superintendent Curtis Null said. “It's really an investment in all of our staff in our buildings.”
