Substitute teachers in the Orcutt Union School District will receive a pay hike to put the rate on par with neighboring districts.
The Orcutt Union School District board of trustees unanimously agreed Wednesday night to boost the pay rate, according to officials.
Orcutt currently pays $90 for a short-term sub or $95 for stints lasting 11 to 20 days and $100 for 21 days or longer.
The daily rate is $5 to $60 less than substitute teachers earn at neighboring districts, or $17 less than the average rate for nine other districts, according to Don Nicholson, assistant superintendent of human resources.
“Although we have a number of substitute teachers who work only for OUSD, the majority of our substitutes work for multiple local districts and the pay rate difference has begun to impact our ability to attract substitutes and provide coverage,” Nicholson told the board in a staff report.
He proposed a new rate of $105, $110 and $115 for the district.
The rate increase approved by the board will take effect May 1.
A survey of other districts revealed that the Lucia Mar Unified School District in southern San Luis Obispo County pays an initial daily rate of $95, the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District pays $96; the Blochman Union School District, $100; the Lompoc Unified School District, $105; the Santa Maria-Bonita School District, $110; and the Guadalupe Union School District, $150.
Nicholson said the rate change is expected to boost the General Fund cost by $27,000 annually and the Special Education Fund by $7,500.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.