NLR district raises pay of some fill-ins

Minimum-wage boost behind change

Substitute teachers in the North Little Rock School District will be paid $65 a day, up from $60, as a result of the increase in the minimum wage that was approved by Arkansas voters in November 2014.

The new pay rate, which applies only to the substitute teachers who do not hold state teaching licenses, was approved by the North Little Rock School Board on Monday. Substitutes who have state teaching licenses are paid $80 a day.

The state's minimum wage increased to $8 an hour on Jan. 1. It had been $7.50 an hour for the past year. The rate will go up again Jan. 1, 2017, to $8.50 an hour.

Karli Saracini, the North Little Rock district's director of human resources, told the School Board that she anticipates recommending another pay increase for the nonlicensed substitutes before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year to comply with the $8.50 an hour requirement.

Additionally, Saracini said adjustments will be necessary in the pay scales for other nonlicensed district employees -- including transportation, custodial and food service workers -- so that the district will be in compliance with the $8.50 an hour minimum wage requirement that will go into effect in the second half of the 2016-17 school year.

The Arkansas Minimum Wage Act, in general, applies to employers who have four or more employees.

School Board members approved the pay rate for substitute teachers at a meeting in which they deferred decisions on other pay rate changes for employees until they have a work session to determine the affordability of any increases.

District teachers have asked for a 3 percent pay raise. Support staff have requested an $850 bonus in lieu of any across-the-board pay increase this year.

The School Board did authorize the establishment of four more campus supervisor positions for North Little Rock High School for the remainder of this school year, bringing the total number of the security personnel to 14 at the campus.

Metro on 01/26/2016

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