The Great Falls Public Schools board made adjustments to substitute teacher compensation during their Sept. 22 meeting.

Substitute teachers work seven hours per day and may not work more than 130 hours per month, with exceptions for full-time subs and long-term subs.

“Every day that students are at school, it is imperative that the students have qualified teachers or substitute teachers in front of them teaching. Every one of the 180 days students attend school is critical. When the classroom teacher is unable to be in the classroom to provide instruction, that responsibility falls to the substitute teachers employed by the district,” according to GFPS.

GFPS board approves pay increase, incentive for substitute teachers [2024]

Training is provided to substitute teachers throughout the school year on topics ranging from technology to classroom management, to Indian Education for All, among others.

The district fill rate remains about 80 percent, meaning 20 percent of absences were filled by other staff due to a lack of substitutes, according to Heather Spurzem, interim human resources director.

GFPS board approves substitute incentive, labor agreements [2023]

As approved, the daily substitute teacher rates for the current school year are:

• unlicensed, first 40 days $110
• unlicensed, after 40 days $120
• licensed, first 40 days $130
• licensed, after 40 days $140

The new rates took effect Aug. 27.

The rates for unlicensed substitutes increased $5 per hour and $15 for licensed substitutes.

The increase is an estimated $47,033 for the GFPS budget, based on a three year average for all 6,719 teaching positions that were filled with a substitute.

GFPS approves substitute incentive pay; labor agreements [2022]

The school board approved incentive pay for substitutes again this school year.

“Teacher absences have increased over the last two years and substitutes working daily have decreased as well. With the current nature of the employment market, we do not anticipate this problem diminishing during the 2025-2026 school year,” according to Spurzem’s staff report.

GFPS approves additional pay for substitute teachers [2022]

The board approved incentive pay for subs who worked at least 25 days in certain timeframes that was paid 69 times last school year, according for a minimum of 1,750 teacher absenses, according to Spurzen.

For the current school year, the board approved an additional $400 for subs who work a minimum of 25 days during:

• Sept. 1-Oct. 31
• Nov. 3-Dec. 31
• Jan. 1-Feb. 27
• March 2-April 30

For all substitutes who work a minimum of 18 days from May 1-June 5, the board approved an additional $400.

GFPS approves substitute pay; plan for facility improvements using COVID-relief funds [2021]

Based on the 2024-2025 school year, district staff estimates the incentive pay to cost $27,610 for the current school year.