News

The Hayward Unified School District has increased the daily rate of pay for substitute teachers as it seeks to become more competitive with neighboring school districts. The Board of Education voted 5-0 to raise the substitute teacher daily rate to $260 per day for day-to-day substitute teacher assignments and $300 per day for long-term assignments (two weeks or longer).

“We know how essential increasing the substitute pool to support our certificated staff is,” said Kimberleigh Watts, Assistant Superintendent Human Resources.

School districts across the U.S. have faced substitute shortages for some time, an issue exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as more regular classroom teachers than usual were absent due to the spread of the virus. The current state average rate of classroom absences that schools were able to cover with substitute teachers was 76 percent.  

In its report to the board, district staff noted that substitutes provide instructional continuity when the regular teachers are absent and stability for classes; prevent permanent teachers from losing their preparation time to cover a class; allow site administrators to perform their normal duties instead of covering classes for which substitute teachers were unavailable; and support a high level of participation for committees and trainings that occur during the school day.

Board President Peter Bufete said the board should reassess the increase at a later date to see if it is effective at drawing new substitute teachers.

Those interested in becoming a substitute teacher should visit the HUSD substitute web page.