DeKalb school board to consider increasing substitute teacher pay

DeKalb school board member Marshall D. Orson and district Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris. (File photo)

DeKalb school board member Marshall D. Orson and district Superintendent Cheryl Watson-Harris. (File photo)

DeKalb County School District substitute teachers could see a bump in how much they are paid for filling in for full-time educators.

The Dekalb Board of Education today will consider approving a proposal to increase the pay for daily and long-term substitute teachers. According to supporting documents for the school board meeting agenda, the rate would increase from $95 a day to $120 per day for daily substitutes and from $105 to $140 per day for long-term substitute teachers.

A human resources document says the increase will allow the district to remain competitive and help with staffing as schools reopen for in-person learning.

School board members will also hear an update on the hiring freeze it implemented for fiscal year 2021. Since it started in July, the freeze has saved the district $6.27 million. The district is projecting the freeze will save up to $10 million by the end of June.

DeKalb school board members will start the meeting at 1 p.m. with an executive session and a combined work session and regular meeting. The board’s virtual community input session starts at 11:30 a.m. Board meetings can be viewed on DeKalb Schools TV (DSTV) or Comcast channel 24 for subscribers who live in the county.