School Board Approves Pay Hike for Substitute Teachers

david@dresdenenterprise.com

DRESDEN (September 3) — Teacher pay was one of the issues discussed during the Thursday, September 3 meeting of the Weakley County School Board.

Due to a challenge finding enough substitute teachers for the school year, the School Board voted to increase the pay for non-certified teachers from $58 per day to $75 per day, and certified teachers from $86 to $100 for the remainder of the year. The board will re-evaluate pay when formulating next year’s budget. The pay hike was approved after discussion by school board members who stated they have heard from some of their constituents concerning the subject, and learned many would be willing to serve as substitute teachers providing the job paid more.

Additional pay is authorized for teachers assuming additional duties after school, which are outside the scope of the work they normally do in the classroom.

Another issue discussed during Thursday's meeting involved physical education. Assistant Director of Schools Jeff Kelly stated Weakley County elementary students are required by law to participate in a minimum of 60 minutes of physical education each week. He noted the Weakley County School System failed to obtain a waiver for the classes this year and must resume P.E. classes, as mandated by the Tennessee Department of Education.

Because of the situation caused by COVID-19, teachers are asked to conduct some of these P.E. classes. This involves P.E. instructors developing physical-education-related activities for students and having teachers conduct the classes in their stead. Teachers will be paid a stipend for the extra work involved.