Chula Vista board approves revised pay schedule for classified substitutes, asks staff for cost analysis to raise some roles to step 1

The Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously approved a revised salary schedule for classified substitutes that the district says is effective Jan. 1, 2025, and asked staff for a follow-up cost analysis of raising some substitute roles to the full entry (step 1) classification.

Board members moved the pay-schedule item after employees and board members raised concerns that current substitute rates make it difficult to recruit and retain cover for critical positions. The board approved the motion to adopt the revised schedule and added a directive requesting a fiscal analysis showing the cost to reclassify certain substitute positions to step 1.

The board’s action followed public testimony from classified-staff representative Ángela Reed, who urged the board to prioritize maintenance and coverage of classified positions and said substitutes are often the first positions cut when budgets are tight. Reed described substitutes’ day-to-day responsibilities and urged the board to ensure substitutes’ pay reflects the work they perform: “We are the connection from home to school…we feed students, supervise playgrounds and support small-group instruction,” she said in Spanish.

Board member discussion focused on both the operational need for substitutes and the district’s fiscal constraints. Members asked the district to return with an analysis that shows the additional cost if selected substitute classifications (for example, paraprofessionals, office clerks and other high-need positions) were increased to the equivalent of the full employee range at step 1. The motion to approve the schedule as presented and request the cost analysis was moved by Vice President Tamayo and seconded by President Ugarte; the motion passed unanimously.

Clarifying details discussed at the meeting included specific pay-range changes cited by speakers: a referenced increase for general maintenance from “19” to “21” (dollars per hour context implied in testimony), interpreter rates noted from roughly “17.25” to “19.2,” and computer support from “23” to “26.” Board members and staff treated those figures as the schedule items under discussion and asked staff to return with precise budget impacts.

The board directed staff to produce the requested cost estimate so trustees can consider whether to raise certain substitute classifications to step 1 at a future meeting.

Votes at a glance: The motion to adopt the revised classified substitute salary schedule and to request a cost analysis was moved by Vice President Tamayo, seconded by President Ugarte, and passed unanimously.

What’s next: District staff will prepare the cost-estimate requested by the board and present it at a future meeting so the board can weigh potential reclassification against budget constraints.