NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The public schools are hoping to recruit and retain substitute teachers by bumping up their pay.
The School Committee earlier this month approved increasing the pay scale by $35 to $55 a day and creating a new base of $130 for substitutes with fewer credentials.
"It's been very hard to get substitutes. Many substitutes sign up to sub in multiple districts, and so in order to remain competitive ... we really needed to kind of align our expectations for substitutes, as well as the salary with our neighboring districts," said Superintendent Barbara Malkas.
Nancy Rauscher, director of school finance and operations, said she had contacted business administrators at other schools to work out what they were paying substitutes.
"I did a blend, and it was Lenox, Mount Greylock and Hoosac Valley, and we're landing somewhere right in the middle," she said. "Mount Greylock is at the highest and then Lenox and Hoosac Valley are lower."
Mount Greylock is paying $210 for a certified/retired teacher, Hoosac $140 and Lenox $150, with less for just a college degree. North Adams has been paying a straight $115 per diem and $130 for permanent daily subs.
The new scale increases the per diem and permanent to $150 with college degree or $170 for certified/retired teachers.
A permanent daily sub is a full-time employee who works five days a week and receives benefits. Per diems work up to three days a week.
A new base at $130 allows for at least 48 college credits or passing the ParaPro Assessment, required for teaching assistants.
"One of the objectives was to literally increase the pool of substitutes available to us," said Rauscher. "What we did is we took a look at some of the local districts and their configurations, and also what their scales look like. And one of the decisions that was made was to actually eliminate the criteria of having to have a college degree to be a substitute teacher."
She estimated the total cost for the raises at $55,000, or about one full-time teaching equivalent.
Committee member Richard Alcombright asked which category took the most positions; Assistant Superintendent Timothy Callahan responded, "the problem is we don't have any subs."
But he estimated most would fall in the "college degree" category though the school system hasn't been making that distinction in hiring.
"They tend not to be certified. We haven't had the credential lowered to just a ParaPro ... we're hoping that that will open our pool," Callahan said. "But the reality is, myself, Barbara, the principals, are subbing for these classes right now, so it is a less expensive option."
Malkas said the contract allows for teaching assistants to cover for a teacher, "to sub in effect, so this amount aligns to the in-district TA who has the same credentials as our first per diem category. ...
"So it only makes sense that if we feel that the classroom can be subbed with an existing TA, with that level of credential, that that also be available to individuals who have decided to sign up to be a per diem."
In other business:
• The committee approved school improvement plans and contract language for salary differentials of $3,760 for certified support services (occupational and physical therapists, speech language pathologists and teachers of visually impaired).
Malkas said this for recruitment and retention as North Adams is not only competing with other school districts but health-care establishments as well.
• Accepted a $500 donation to the Drury band from 1Berkshire Strategic Alliance Inc. and donations of $5,000 each from the Ruth Proud Trust and from an anonymous donor to benefit the afterschool ski club for Grades 3 to 6.
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Navigators Hand SteepleCats Sixth Straight Loss
By Ben McDonoughFor iBerkshires.com
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Shore Navigators capitalized on aggressive baserunning and timely hitting Friday night, defeating the North Adams SteepleCats 13-4 at Joe Wolfe Field and dropping the Cats to 0-6 on the young NECBL season.
The Navigators struck first in the opening inning against North Adams starter Garrett Gates. Michael Brown opened the game by reaching after being hit by a pitch before Hunter Kingsbury followed with an infield single. After a double steal moved both runners into scoring position, Gates recorded his first strikeout of the season by retiring Jay Slater. North Shore quickly responded, however, as Grant Hunter lined a two-run double into the gap to give the visitors a 2-0 lead.
North Adams threatened in the bottom of the first. Bobby Stang singled and stole second while Evan Meier worked a walk, but North Shore starter John Hegarty escaped the inning without allowing a run.
Gates settled in during the second inning, striking out Luke Johnson and working around a two-out double by Tyler Shulman to post a scoreless frame. He added two more strikeouts in the third, but Slater connected for a solo home run over the left-field fence to extend the Navigators' lead to 3-0. Gates recovered by picking off Simmi Whitehill after a single and later struck out Hunter to end the inning.
The SteepleCats broke through in the bottom of the third. Alex Barrist reached base and advanced into scoring position on a throwing error before Nelphie Lopez worked a walk. A wild pitch moved both runners up, and after Evan Meier battled back from a 1-2 count to draw another walk, Tony Woodie delivered North Adams' biggest hit of the night. His two-run ground-rule double brought home Barrist and Lopez, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
North Shore answered immediately in the fourth. After Steven Sams entered in relief, the Navigators used a combination of walks, stolen bases, wild pitches and defensive miscues to plate three runs and stretch the lead to 6-2.
The game began to slip away in the fifth. Grant Hunter opened the inning with a single before the Navigators loaded the bases. Daniel Leikus delivered a bases-clearing double to right field, helping North Shore push four more runs across the plate. Jake Foster eventually entered to stop the rally, but the damage had been done as the Navigators moved comfortably in front.
On Friday, June 12, Matthew Parker will be arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court for an incident that occurred on Wednesday evening, June 10, into the early morning of Thursday, June 11. click for more
The upper section of Houghton Street was blocked off for hours on Wednesday night as authorities sought to deal with an individual reportedly having a mental health issue.
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