The Boerne Independent School District announced it has put emergency pay rates in place for all substitute teachers and auxiliary employees, effective immediately.
During the January 24 board of trustees meeting, Superintendent Tom Price said the action is a “COVID response” relating to a staffing shortage within the district.
“We’re just like other districts,” he said. “It’s gotten worse during the lat est (virus) spike. … The emergency funding addresses shortages we’re experiencing.”
During the school board meeting, Price said BISD had 467 positive COVID-19 cases between students and staff, which is the most ever in the district. He also said, “And I know that’s not all of them out there.”
That COVID number computed to about 4 percent of the district’s student and staff population.
However, on Monday morning, Jan. 31, one week later, the number of cases had dropped significantly – to 131 active – according to information received from the school district.
The emergency pay rates increase pay for both daily and long-term substitute teachers by $25 per day. That means degreed or non-degreed subs will receive $120 per day of teaching, a certified teacher will get $135, a certified teacher on a longterm assignment will be paid $185 per day and nurses will get $135.
The district announced on its Facebook page last week that it had about 50 new substitute teachers attend a training session.
“We are excited to have our new subs work with our amazing students,” the social media post stated.
In addition, all auxiliary employees (maintenance, custodial, food service and transportation) will receive an additional $2 per hour during the emergency pay period, which averages an additional $320 a month for eight-hour employees, information from the district stated.
That same information stated the new pay rates are the second-highest in the region.
In December 2021, the district gave longevity stipends to all employees. All employees on the teacher pay scale received a longevity stipend of $1,050, which netted a take-home amount of about $800 after mandatory taxes were removed. All other permanent, full-time employees, not including temporary or substitutes, received a longevity stipend of $325, which netted a take-home amount of about $250 after mandatory taxes were taken out.
“It’s been a tremendously hard two years,” Price said during the school board meeting. “We’ve asked everyone to do a lot of work to get us through this.”
The district used Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) for the longevity stipends and will use the same federal funds for the emergency pay rates for its auxiliary employees, BISD information stated. Local district funding will not be used.
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