Subs upset at district

Talk about it

Some substitute teachers are not pleased with what they earn.

Two local subs, Bob Lackore and Ed Pocrnich, explained those concerns at a Lake Superior School District Board meeting last Thursday.

The two said they had not received a pay increase since 2004, plus many other districts in the area pay a rate higher than that of the Lake Superior School District.

“We don’t want to work for this pay rate anymore,” Pocrnich said, adding that substitute administrative assistants make more than they do.

Superintendent Phil Minkkinen agreed with some of the substitutes’ conclusions. “Most areas pay more than this one,” he said. But problems would develop if subs received an increase now.

“We are already in a budget deficit; this could bring us in the wrong direction,” he said. “We are low, but don’t know if this is the time to spend the money now.”

To combat the current budget situation, employees in the district recently agreed to a salary freeze which led to fewer layoffs than anticipated.

“We’ve been in a salary freeze for a long time,” Pocrnich said.

A motion to increase their pay from $85 to $95 a day was made, but it failed due to a lack of majority.

Some substitutes have indicated they will no longer sub in the district because of their current pay.

In other school board news:

- An increase in meal prices was approved by the board. Activity fees, however, will remain where they currently are. A cap for student activity fees, for families, was also discussed by the board, but no motion was made.

- The board also approved a resolution authorizing the sale of $4,625,000 in General Obligation Aid Anticipation Certificates of Indebtedness. Basically, the board said it was borrowing money to keep the district’s cash flow going in the anticipation that they will receive state aid.

- The budget was also approved for the 2010 school year. Revenue was established to be $21.6 million, while expenses were at about $22.4 million.

Tags: two harbors, lake superior school district, substitute teachers, news