At Tuesday night’s Jefferson County Board of Education meeting, substitute teachers for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) raised alarms about a recent reduction in their long‑term premium pay. The district lowered the premium from 50% above the daily rate to 25% above the daily rate as part of a cost‑saving plan aimed at stabilizing a severe financial crisis.
Teachers describe the impact
“I’m concerned about consistency in the classroom. I’m doing the same job I did last year, same classroom, but for much less pay,” said Audrey Sharber, a JCPS substitute. Abigail Dimeler added, “That pay cut actually comes out to a loss of about $880 for a substitute with a bachelor’s degree, and that is pretty extreme.” Both teachers urged the board to reconsider the cuts.
District explains the decision
JCPS Superintendent Brian Yearwood defended the measure, stating it was necessary to keep the district financially viable. “They do such a fantastic job and endure so much and make so many sacrifices coming into our classrooms. It’s sad that we had to go down this pathway,” Yearwood said, adding that the cuts would be revisited once the district’s finances are stabilized.
The district reported 138 teacher vacancies as of Aug. 20, including 82 openings in special education, science, mathematics and English as a second language. Melvin Brown, JCPS executive officer of talent, emphasized retention as a priority, noting that “sometimes it’s not about the money. Sometimes it’s about the experience. We can provide a good quality experience for employees. They’re more prone to stay and continue to support our work. We also need to address compensation.”
Substitutes stress need for a retention plan
Substitutes warned that presenting numbers without a clear retention strategy does little to assure families. “We can present all the numbers we want and sort of make it look like we know what’s going on in the district. But if there’s no plan to retain these teachers, these people who care about these kids, then we don’t, we don’t know where we’re going,” Dimeler said.
Sharber also highlighted classroom behavior concerns, noting her prior experience with the Department of Corrections. “I’m seeing a lot of behaviors that some adults had. They had a childhood, and it was starting in the classroom,” she observed.
Looking ahead
Yearwood assured that once the financial crisis is resolved, the district will reassess the premium cuts, especially for positions that directly affect students daily. “Once everything is stabilized, we’ll be looking at, okay, what can we bring back, especially for those that are impacting our children and the classroom on a daily basis,” he said.
JCPS also identified four schools with critical, disproportionate staffing shortages, marking them as a priority for immediate action.
Original reporting: WLKY Louisville — read the source article.
