NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Over the last few years, Metro Nashville Public Schools have increased pay for teachers and administrators, but a group of teachers argues there's a key position that has been left out — substitute teachers.
MNPS is one of several districts that seem to be struggling to obtain classroom subs.
"I cover classes multiple times a week, and most people in my school do as well," said Hallie Trauger, a Bio-STEM CTE Teacher at Antioch High School. "We pitch in. We try to help but that comes at the expense of whatever else we were supposed to be doing in that period."
Trauger thinks a shortage of subs has to do with pay.
"So right now, some subs are paid as low as $11.30 an hour. Our ask is consistent with the other raises that were achieved last year to bring the rest of MNPS up to $18 an hour," said Tauger.
While a Metro Schools spokesperson says they don't plan to increase the rate for substitutes at this moment, they are working on a plan that would allow more substitutes to work full-time at schools.
According to MNPS, they're retooling a current position and renaming it a General School Assistant. Essentially, that role would be a full-time substitute at a school that can be plugged in wherever they're needed. J.C. Bowman, the president, and CEO of Professional Educators of Tennessee, really likes the plan.
"It’s kind of like baseball and having a utility fielder that you can come in and play wherever you need," said Bowman. "If you make them permanent, that you’re going to see them get benefits and get some healthcare. And I think that’s an advantage for them and maybe lucrative to drive somebody in."
The General School Assistant position would also be paid about $18 an hour, versus MNPS subs, which make on average $15 an hour.
"You can’t raise a family off that. Some people would argue you can’t rent a house for that," said Bowman.
MNPS admits they'll still need normal subs that can float from school to school, which is why Hallie is still pushing for a raise.
"This is somewhere I really hope there’s an adjustment to raise all MNPS pay up to that living wage," said Trauger.
Here's the full statement from Metro Schools:
One of the top priorities is ensuring students are well-served when there are teacher vacancies and absences. To provide a more effective solution to school staff absences, MNPS created classroom associates, a permanent, school-based position that the district funds for all schools. These are currently called general school assistants. The job duties for this position are flexible by design. They cover classrooms when a teacher is absent for a short-term or long-term need. When classrooms are fully staffed, they can monitor lunch duty, sit at the front desk, assist with family outreach, or support any other administrative task. This plan adheres to emerging national best practices as the teachers are full-time employees with benefits, access to training available to other support staff, they are part of the school’s safety plan and participate in safety drills, and have the ability to know and understand the school’s culture, students, and faculty.
Dr. Battle has proposed significantly increasing the number of these positions at each school in the budget, and Mayor Cooper has proposed $10.8 million in his budget to do just that. Attached is a document that further explains the investment and role of a Classroom Associate.
Any current substitute is eligible to apply to become a General School Assistant.
Meanwhile, while Metro's substitute pay may be low for Nashville's economy, it's one of the higher-paying districts in the state for substitutes. Some Tennessee districts still only pay their subs the state minimum wage.
