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Board hears plan to raise some substitute rates and create annual‑employee substitute salary
Summary
DeKalb CUSD 428 administration proposed multiple substitute pay changes including higher hourly rates for classified substitutes, a jump for substitute nurses, and a new annually employed substitute salary aligned to a beginning teacher’s base pay and benefits; board asked for further review and requested the item return for action.
District Director of Human Resources Dietra Salas presented proposed rates for substitutes for the 2025‑26 school year and described a new classification, annually employed substitutes, who would be assigned to a single building for the school year.
Salas said the district is not recommending increases for daily substitute teachers but proposed higher rates for classified substitutes to align with union contracts and local comparators. Key proposals included raising substitute instructional assistants, secretaries, custodians and cooks to $18.50 per hour; increasing substitute nurses (RNs) to $30 per hour; and raising student monitor pay from $15 to $16 per hour. Special events staff were proposed to be standardized at $28 per hour for all staff performing the role.
The largest change is a proposed annually employed substitute position: a 180‑day, school‑year appointment paid $46,213 (the District’s base teacher salary for a bachelor’s degree, zero experience), paid during the school year and with 10 sick days and individual health benefits available. Salas said the role is intended to provide continuity for buildings and to serve as a pipeline to full teaching positions; the district currently employs people in these roles and the proposal formalizes pay and benefits.
Board discussion focused on pension and benefit implications, whether TRS or IMRF contributions apply, and the district’s ability to project total cost because substitute needs vary by year. Salas said annually employed subs pay into TRS when employed in a certified role and that the district will evaluate costs at year‑end.
Next steps: Board members agreed to bring the item back for action at the next meeting; administration will provide cost projections and implementation details for the board’s consideration.
