NORWICH – It has been more than eight years since Norwich substitutes received a raise in pay, a fact which doesn’t sit well with the district’s retired teachers.
“I just think that with the experience that I have ... that I’m worth more,” explained Jim Wysor, the retired Norwich High School science teacher who originally brought the matter to the school board’s attention in January.
Wysor returned to the board on March 17, and this time he brought back up. Showing their support for the retired teacher’s efforts were both other district retirees and several current Norwich teachers.
Despite this showing of support, however, Wysor is still finding the proposition a hard sell with members of the school board and the district’s administration. It’s not just the budget that stands in their way, although it is surely a factor. The real challenge is the administration, which doesn’t see a need for change because they say the district’s substitute compensation rates are largely on par with other local districts.
In Norwich, non-certified subs receive $60 a day in compensation, certified subs receive $65 and retired, certified teachers are paid a per diem rate of $100.
“We’re right in line with everyone else,” reported Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan, as he ran through a list of what subs are paid in surrounding schools.. Of the districts on the list, only Sherburne-Earlville pay a higher rate than Norwich for retired teachers. At S-E, retired teachers in general receive $105 per day, while those who retire from the S-E district are paid $125.
After relaying the information, O’Sullivan gave his recommendation to the board: that no increase in pay be given at the present time. He then reiterated the district’s financial constraints regarding next year’s budget.
Following the superintendent’s presentation, board member Joe Stagliano asked O’Sullivan to provide the board with the number of days retired teachers had substituted in the past year at a future meeting.
When there was no further discussion by the board, Wysor asked if it was now a dead issue or if there was a chance of addressing the topic again before the district’s 2009-10 budget was finalized.
Board President Bob Patterson responded, saying the board would discuss the issue further, but not until the next board meeting when they would begin hashing out the finer details of the budget.
During public comment, Wysor and others in attendance took the opportunity to express their feelings about substitute pay and the benefit of retired teachers filling these roles.
“We’re waiting around to see who is the first to raise sub pay,” Wysor said, calling the district’s reasoning “flawed.”
The retired science teacher also cited the pay issue as a reason the district struggled to attract well qualified subs. “(There is) rarely a day when they can fill all the sub positions in this district,” he said.
Lou DeMott, also a retired teacher from Norwich High School, addressed the same issue. The lack of subs means that people are often shuffled from one class to another, he said, to “make sure they have a body for each person who is absent.”
“I don’t think it’s just dollar amounts, but I think increasing the dollar amount would get you more subs,” DeMott said.
Sharon Ortell, a retired elementary school teacher from the district, admitted she doesn’t choose to substitute often partially due to the lack of compensation.
“I need a little more of an incentive,” she explained.
Recalling her own teaching days, Ortell said she always felt relieved when she knew the sub filling in for her absence was a retired teacher. When a sub is a retired teacher, she explained, “You know that that day your class is going to go well.”
Several current Norwich teachers were eager to tell the board of education how important it is to have seasoned professionals substituting in their classrooms.
“I know when I get a qualified sub like Jim, that he can deliver my lesson plan,” said High School Science Teacher Jeff Constable. Something needs to be done, he said, “to get other qualified, certified subs to come to Norwich.”
For Dr. Bruce Race, having Wysor as a substitute in his absence determines whether his students are able to have a science lab on that day due to state certification requirements.
“There was a time when this district was proactive rather than reactive,” said High School Math Teacher Sue Fenton, who took the opportunity to thank Wysor publicly for substituting in her classroom.
It is a comfort for teachers, she said, to know “that when we’re ill and not in our classroom, instruction continues.”