LETTER TO THE EDITOR: School reductions unfair to substitutes

Dear Editor:

Great article on Manatee County Public Schools.

However, I would like to make a comment and ask that you look into it further. Superintendent Tim McGonegal listed the reduction recommendations, and one in particular caught my eye — as well as one that was missing.
The item that grabbed my attention was the $7 per day reduction in substitute teacher pay. It sounds small, but that is if you don’t know that a substitute in the Manatee school system now only makes $89 per day. This is a 7.86% reduction in pay.

My wife is a dedicated substitute teacher in the Manatee school system with a background of 24 years as classroom teacher and holds a master’s degree and an additional 30 hours of post-graduate work.

The one reduction that I did not see was any sacrifice by the superintendent and the school system administrative staff. It would have been a significant statement by the superintendent that he and the Manatee staff (i.e. comptroller, attorneys, accountants, budget analysts, department deads, etc.) would volunteer to take a 5% reduction in salary until the economy begins to improve.

I’m not going to ask anything of the teachers other than to keep doing the great job they are doing. I would really appreciate you looking into this.