FILE:  GBRJ

Cf:  GBD, GBRJ-R

SUBSTITUTES

TEACHERS

The Washington Parish School Board shall require the compilation of a list of qualified individuals to serve as day-by-day substitute teachers within the school district.  The Superintendent or his/her designee shall prepare the list assuring that all those listed possess appropriate employment criteria, including verification of teachers' qualifications and certification.   

Principals or their designated representatives shall call substitute teachers from the approved list in case of absence of a regular teacher.  It shall be the responsibility of the principal and the regular teacher to ensure that the substitute teacher has the necessary instructions and materials to teach effectively, including textbooks, lesson plans, class rolls, schedules and an outline of local school procedures. 

Retired teachers may be employed as substitute teachers provided that use of retired teachers as substitutes is in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana and pertinent statutory provisions.

Qualified teachers may also be selected to substitute for teachers who plan to be absent for long periods of time.  Provisions shall be made for the hiring of, or contracting with applicable substitute teachers in these instances as developed by the Superintendent and staff.

Compensation paid to substitute teachers shall be based upon the degree status of the substitute in accordance with a pay schedule as set by the School Board. 

As in the case of a regular teacher on extended sick leave, beginning with the first day of extended sick leave granted to the individual by the School Board, the substitute shall be placed on the regular substitute pay scale.  On the twenty-first consecutive day, the substitute shall be placed on the regular parish teacher salary schedule.  However, a substitute teacher shall not be paid more than the regular salary of the teacher on leave.  It shall be incumbent upon the substitute teacher, however, to properly notify the personnel department of such continuous employment. 

Substitute teachers shall be paid according to the adopted substitute salary schedule for day-by-day teachers, with the following exceptions:

1. Starting the new school year:  A substitute teacher who is required to start a new school year, makes pre-school faculty meetings, etc., and who will be responsible for teaching a full schedule will be put on the pay schedule the same as any other regular teacher, commensurate with training, degree and experience.
   
   

2. Extended illness or absences of regular classroom teacher.  Regularly employed teachers who are absent from the classroom during the regular school year in excess of twenty (20) consecutive teacher days, the substitute teacher will go on regular salary schedule commensurate with training, degree and experience after regular teacher absence exceeds twenty (20) consecutive days.

Any school employee whose job does not require a teaching certificate who performs work as a substitute teacher for more than a single class period shall be compensated for that time at the rate of a substitute teacher.  The principal or his/her designee shall authorize the school employee to act as a substitute teacher prior to the employee’s participation in the classroom as a substitute, and shall verify the hours as a substitute teacher for payroll purposes.

SUBSTITUTES FOR SUPPORT PERSONNEL

The Washington Parish School Board shall require the maintenance of a list of properly qualified and approved substitute personnel eligible to substitute for support personnel absent from work.  Only persons approved by the School Board shall be eligible for employment as substitutes.  Appropriate judgment as to actual need should be exercised before employment of a substitute for support personnel.

Bus Operators

The Transportation Supervisor shall maintain a qualified substitute bus operator list.  The substitute bus operator list shall be updated as changes occur. 

A substitute bus operator may only be used as a temporary resource until a permanent operator can be appointed to a route.  A substitute operator may not drive a route for a period that exceeds the end of the school year during which the operator began driving the route.

A substitute bus operator shall be paid a daily rate as approved by the School Board, but in no case less than sixty-five percent (65%) of the daily rate of pay being paid the regular bus operator, to be computed by dividing the annual pay of the regular operator by the number of school days in the regularly scheduled session, exclusive of any compensation or mileage allowance for use of a privately owned bus.

Whenever a bus operator must secure a substitute operator for his/her regular bus route so that he/she will be able to take a school-sponsored field trip approved by the Superintendent, the Washington Parish School Board shall pay the substitute operator’s salary.  Under these conditions, that bus operator shall not be charged with sick leave for the time he/she is away on such an approved school trip.

School Employees

Any substitute hired shall receive minimum wages.  However, beginning with the first day following the exhaustion of all accumulated sick leave and extended sick leave days by the regular employee, the substitute will be placed on regular salary as provided in the parish salary schedule as a beginning employee.

When the regular employee is off work and has exhausted all accumulated sick leave and extended sick leave, and a substitute is not or cannot be employed, the employee will lose a day's pay for each day that he/she is off work.

Ref:     La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§11:710, 17:81, 17:84, 17:419.3, 17:493.1, 17:500, 17:1202, 17:1212, 17:1213, 17:1216, 17:1217

Board minutes, 3-16-00, 4-22-04, 4-23-09, 10-11-12, 12-11-14

Washington Parish School Board