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Resident urges district to raise substitute pay, contrasts it with recent bus driver pay increase
Summary
A resident and certified special educator told the board that substitute teachers earn $105/day (about $13/hour) — among the lowest in the regional substitute service — and urged the board to close the pay gap with bus drivers paid $33/hour before finalizing the budget.
Lucy Klingensmith, a Wallingford resident and Pennsylvania‑certified special educator, addressed the board during public comment on April 27 to call attention to substitute teacher compensation.
Klingensmith said the district’s substitute pay — $105 per day through the Substitute Teacher Service, approximately $13 per hour — places Wallingford‑Swarthmore among the lowest paid districts served by that provider. She contrasted that rate with a recent district offer for bus drivers of $33 per hour and asked the board to treat substitute teachers with equivalent investment given their instructional responsibilities.
"At $105 a day, WSSD is not paying a livable wage and we are certainly not paying a professional one," Klingensmith said. She argued the low daily rate undermines retention and makes it harder for certified teachers who live in the district to accept substitute assignments. Klingensmith said she supports the bus driver rate but urged parity for guest teachers before the budget is finalized next month and requested a formal response from the district.
No board member provided a substantive reply during the public comment period; administrators and board members may address the request in upcoming budget deliberations.
