Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Human Resources Labor topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Classified staff and substitute pay dominate public comments as trustees weigh staffing and budget choices
Summary
Classified employees and substitutes told the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board that low substitute pay is causing widespread uncovered shifts, safety concerns and staff burnout; speakers asked the board to raise substitute hourly rates and to prioritize funding to keep campuses staffed.
Classified staff, parent advocates and substitute workers urged the Chula Vista Elementary School District Board of Education on Wednesday to raise substitute wages and address a persistent shortage of substitutes and site-level classified staff.
Several speakers described routine gaps in coverage and the safety risks that follow. Angela Reed, speaking for the Chula Vista Classified Employee Organization, told the board “the compensation for substitute employees is insufficient to draw adequate substitutes to support the need,” and outlined outcomes she said the district sees when jobs go unfilled: staff coming to work sick, coworkers covering extra duties, and classrooms left understaffed.
Multiple classified employees gave concrete examples of what they said happens when substitutes are not available. Claudia Perez Chica, a behavior specialist and instructional assistant at Rogers Elementary, said the district’s substitute rate is $16.50 an hour and added, “At Sweetwater, they get $25 an hour. Who would wanna stay here?” She described student-attendant duties — toileting and changing diapers — that cannot safely go unfilled and said delayed care and reduced supervision harm students and school safety.
Several speakers pressed for parity between substitute and step‑1 pay and asked the board to reduce reliance on site-based temporary hires that can be uneven across the district. Rebecca Reed, a clerical substitute, described being paid $16.50 to be the “first face that parents see,” handling confidential records while receiving a lower hourly wage and no benefits.
Board members acknowledged the problem and asked staff for a fiscal analysis. Superintendent Dr. Reyes and staff said they would provide a cost estimate and options. Assistant superintendent/program staff told the board they would produce a fiscal-impact analysis showing the cost to raise substitute pay to step‑1 levels, and to identify potential offsets in the budget.
Why it matters: Board members and staff said the issue affects safety, student support and staff morale; speakers repeatedly framed pay as a driver of coverage shortages that in turn force other employees to work outside job descriptions or to skip breaks.
What happened next: Trustees approved a separate staffing item (Item 10 O) to hire 10 classified campus substitutes as roving positions at $22/hour to fill immediate gaps while staff prepares a wider fiscal analysis, and asked staff to return with costed options for raising substitute pay across job classes.
