The ConVal school board voted unanimously to raise the pay rate for substitute positions, including teachers, administrative assistants and paraprofessionals for the 2026-2027 school year.
“This is something we have been talking about for a while. We have been experiencing a significant problem finding subs,” said Assistant Superintendent Amy Stevenson.
Stevenson said that the SAU researched substitute pay rates in surrounding districts and found that ConVal has been offering a lower rate than most districts in the region.
“Right now, we have teachers covering classes because we can’t get subs, which is not a good solution. It’s very important for our staff to be able to take their sick time or their FMLA leave and not have to worry,” Stevenson said.
Currently, ConVal is offering $110 per day for teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrative assistants. The Keene School District pays $125 for a full day; Mascenic, $115 a day for certified teachers; and Milford, $130 day for certified teachers. Wilton and Hillsborough-Deering both pay $120 a day for certified teachers, and Monadnock School District in Swanzey pays $130 a day.
Jaffrey-Rindge pays an hourly rate starting at $17.50 for a one-day substitute or about $126 for a full day.
Stevenson proposed that ConVal raise the base daily pay to $140 a day for regular substitutes, $250 a day for long-term substitutes, and up to $280 a day if the substitute stays more than ten days.
“We frequently have the need for long-term substitutes, and we would really like to raise the rate for that, because they have to do report cards, they have to make lesson plans, they have to do grading. If you can’t get long-term subs in the classroom, it is very challenging,” Stevenson said.
Superintendent Ann Forrest said that the high school is also impacted by a lack of substitutes.
“There have been times when we haven’t been able to get subs and we have had to pull classes into the library or the cafeteria. It is definitely a problem,” Forrest said. “It is also not just ConVal; all the districts in the region are having trouble finding subs. We have situations where subs we have hired have gone over to other districts because the pay is more.”
Forrest said that the district’s pool of retired teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals is an essential resource when buildings are short-staffed.
“When our retired staff come in to substitute, especially the administrative assistants, I can’t emphasize how valuable they are in their ability to support the front office. They know the system; they know how everything works. But what we are hearing from them is that the current pay rate we are offering is not worth their time right now,” Forrest said.
ConVal business administrator Neal Cass said that while the district had budgeted $500,000 for substitute positions last year, $200,000 of those funds were never used because the district was unable to hire the substitutes they needed.
“We have not been using a lot of our budget line for substitutes because we have not been able to find them,” Cass said.
School Board Chair Mike Hoyt of Bennington said that the nature of the district, which is 250 square miles and includes 11 separate buildings, makes it even more challenging to find substitutes.
“If we have to keep asking principals to cover classes, and if we have to keep asking high school teachers to give up their planning time to teach a class, that does not help us retain staff in the district,” Hoyt said.
Stevenson said teachers have been stretched thin by the lack of substitutes.
“Some of the teachers are saying to us, we would really love to help, but we really need our planning time,” she said.
Stevenson said the SAU pays the same rate for substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and administrative assistants because they are all essential to running the school.
“In the little schools, most of the principals are already teaching. If we have a paraprofessional and an administrative assistant out the same day, it becomes very challenging to manage the school. This is why we pay the same rate for administrative assistants and paraprofessionals, especially for our small school,” Stevenson said. “This is step one toward trying to hire enough subs.”
CTE proposal
The board voted to move forward with a scaled-back renovation plan for the Region 14 Career and Technical Education center which will include upgrades to classrooms, equipment, and resources.
The board will hold a public hearing on the proposal at its next meeting on Tuesday, May 1, at 7 p.m.
“The new plan proposes renovating only the current CTE space, and bring the spaces up to current standards to support students in these programs,” Forrest said.
Jim Fredrickson of Sharon, chair of the Budget and Property committee, said the architects for the project had submitted “high-level plans.”
“We will ask them to resubmit their application with more detailed plans,” Fredrickson said.
The Region 14 CTE Center is one of 20 regional technical education centers in the state and includes programs at ConVal, Mascenic and Conant high schools.
Forrest said that ConVal is still “in the queue” for state funding for CTE upgrades.
“What we found out when we met with the Department of Education in April is that if we move forward with this proposal, there is a potential for funding, but if we do not move forward with it, there will be no funding. So we do need to move forward with this proposal,” Forrest said.
In December 2024, the ConVal School Board voted to drop a proposal to renovate the CTE center, parts of the high school, and the Lucy Hurlin Theatre. The decision followed public outcry after estimates for the renovations came in at about $33.48 million. The board estimated that state funding specifically for the CTE project, based on historical funding records, would have been $14.73 million, leaving roughly $18.75 million to be covered by a district bond.