MISD takes part in a yearly salary study that looks at surrounding districts and determines which departments’ salaries need to be revised, said Tamira Griffin, assistant superintendent and chief human resource officer for MISD.

“With [substitutes], we knew we were a little bit low, but it hadn’t been a really big problem,” Griffin said. “But this year some of our [competitors’ rates] were going up a little higher, so we just wanted to make sure that we were competitive with our rates.”

Frisco ISD initiated substitute pay raises in August from $80 to $100 a day for substitutes with college degrees and from $90 to $110 a day for substitutes with teaching certificates. Allen ISD also raised substitutes’ pay in August from $85 to $100 per day for substitutes with college degrees and from $90 to $115 per day for substitutes who are certified teachers.

“[Increasing the pay rate] really does matter even if it’s just a few dollars,” Griffin said. “We decided to make that change to make sure that we are competitive and that we are taking care of our great [substitutes].”