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Southington sees substitute-teacher lines over budget as shortages persist
Summary
Administrators told the board substitute-teacher spending exceeded the fiscal‑year budget, driven by higher minimum wage and difficulty recruiting daily and long‑term substitutes; offsets come from certified‑staff vacancy savings.
District officials told the Board of Education that substitute-teacher spending for fiscal 2023–24 ran over budget and that the substitute line remains strained in the current year because of recruitment shortages and a recent minimum‑wage increase.
Staff reported the substitute line ran over by $521,000 for 2023–24; as of the most recent payroll the district reported the substitute lines were over budget by $481,000, including encumbrances for building substitutes and known long‑term assignments. Daily substitutes are paid as they work and are not always encumbered.
Administrators said the offset for the substitute overrun has been savings in certified‑teacher accounts resulting from staff vacancies across the district. They also said they were developing a substitute‑teacher proposal aimed at improving recruitment and retention, and that the district would likely need to act on that proposal outside the ordinary budget cycle because the issue is pressing.
Board members and staff noted that the January 1 minimum‑wage increase has tightened the available dollars for substitute pay and made recruitment for both daily and long‑term substitute positions more difficult.
No formal vote or policy change was adopted at the workshop; staff said they would bring a substitute‑teacher proposal for board consideration.
