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Tonto Basin raises substitute pay to $200/day, approves temporary hires to avoid splitting classrooms
Summary
The Tonto Basin board approved certified substitute pay at $28.57/hour ($200/day) and classified subs at $18/hour, and hired several temporary certified and office substitutes to prevent students being redistributed when teachers are absent.
The Tonto Basin Elementary District board on Oct. 30 approved higher pay for substitutes and a set of temporary hires aimed at preventing students from being split among other classrooms when teachers are absent.
At a special meeting, the board set certified substitute pay at $28.57 per hour, equivalent to $200 per day on a seven-hour day, and set classified substitute pay at $18 per hour. Superintendent Johnny Ketchum said the raise is intended to attract substitute teachers and offset commuting costs; he noted Payson’s substitute daily rates run about $150–$160 and that some local individuals had previously volunteered without pay. "Payson pays $150–$160/day; $200/day is intended to attract subs and offset commuting," the minutes record as part of the superintendent's report.
The board approved three certified substitutes: Michelle Cooper (special education, temporary placement), Kimberly Cooper (regular education) and Heidi Goble (regular education). The board also approved office substitutes Kathleen Manning, Choya Grantham and Billy Menifee. Motions for each hire passed unanimously among members present (Sterling Thomas, Laci Sopeland, Wendy Neil and Robin Halt).
Board members directed staff to implement the new pay rates and to apply retroactive pay to the prior Monday where policy allows. The superintendent said the district is creating separate substitute lists for classified and certified staff and coordinating with the Payson superintendent to leverage Payson's substitute list given local scarcity.
The action responds to the district’s previously informal approach, when absences sometimes led to students being redistributed into other classrooms. The board recorded a transition note that a special education teacher’s annual salary was cited in discussion as roughly $60,000 — a point used to contextualize daily substitute pay versus full-time compensation.
Next steps include onboarding the approved substitutes and posting permanent positions as job descriptions are finalized for vacant roles in the business office and office staff.
