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Portland substitutes urge district to restore incentive pay and fix Frontline app
Summary
Substitute teachers told the Portland Public Schools board that district teaching‑position cuts have reduced substitute assignments about 20%, putting many substitutes at risk of falling short of the 55‑day threshold needed for health benefits. The union urged reinstating incentive pay and restoring Frontline filters, and raised equity concerns about paid third‑party apps.
Ian Mullen, chair of the Portland Association of Teachers’ substitute committee, told the Portland Public Schools board during public comment that recent staffing cuts and the removal of incentive pay have dramatically reduced substitute work and threatened substitutes’ access to employer‑sponsored health insurance.
“From data that we’ve received from the district, we are on pace for about 50,000 jobs,” Mullen said. “That’s about a 20% decrease” from an earlier level he described as roughly 65,000 annual assignments, a drop he said threatens many substitutes’ ability to meet the 55‑day eligibility benchmark for health benefits.
The union asked the district to…
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