SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS
A. Employment of Substitute Teachers:
In order to ensure continuity of instruction when teachers are absent, the district shall employ as substitute teachers competent and effective individuals as permitted by state law and regulations. The Board of Education recognizes that fully certified teachers may not always be available for employment as substitute teachers when the need arises.
The recruitment, selection and scheduling of substitute teachers is the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools. Compensation rates for substitute teachers shall be established annually by the Board of Education at the organizational meeting. There are two categories of substitute teachers:
- Per Diem substitute teachers, who are appointed by administrative action and are employed on a day-to-day basis.
- Replacement or regular substitute teachers, who are appointed by Board of Education action for a leave of absence.
B. The following provisions from Commissioner’s Regulation 80-5.4 “Substitute Teachers” shall apply:
Definitions:
- Substitute teacher means one who is employed in place of a regularly appointed teacher who is absent but is expected to return.
- Long-term basis means employment for more than 40 days by a school district in a school year.
- Itinerant means employment for 40 days or less by a school district in a school year.
Eligibility for Service
- Substitutes with valid teaching certificates or certificates of qualification. Service may be rendered in any capacity, for any number of days. If employed on more than an itinerant basis, such persons will be employed in an area for which they are certified.
- Substitutes without a valid certificate, but who are completing collegiate study toward certification at the rate of not less than six semester hours per year. Service may be rendered in any capacity, for any number of days, in any number of school districts. If employed on more than an itinerant basis, such persons will be employed in the area for which they are seeking certification.
- Substitutes without a valid certificate and who are not working toward certification. Service may be rendered for no more than 40 days by a school district in a school year.
The Superintendent of Schools shall have administrative discretion to determine the rate of payment of regular or replacement substitute teachers in subject areas where it is difficult to employ substitute teachers, including but not limited to the subject areas of mathematics, science and foreign language.
Adopted: February 26, 1996 Revised: Sept 10, 2001; Feb 24, 2015 Ref: 8 NYCRR Sec.80-5.4
Revised and Renumbered: February 6, 2024