Peoria Unified approves pay for classroom coverage
Board reverses decision on extending compensation
The practice of school staff filling in for teachers is common in schools when it is not possible, feasible or practical to provide a substitute teacher, but a move to formalize a temporary compensation increase for Peoria Unified employees who do this has followed a far from common path.
Because of staffing complications such as teacher shortages during the pandemic, the district governing board in January approved a temporary increase to pay for staff members who fill in for teachers, increasing their rate from $20 to $25 an hour and from $30 per 90 minutes to $37.50 per 90 minutes for teachers covering for coworkers who were absent.
Staff brought the measure back to the board July 9 because the initiative ended at the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year and officials said the need for the compensation still exists.
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The practice of school staff filling in for teachers is common in schools when it is not possible, feasible or practical to provide a substitute teacher, but a move to formalize a temporary compensation increase for Peoria Unified employees who do this has followed a far from common path.
Because of staffing complications such as teacher shortages during the pandemic, the district governing board in January approved a temporary increase to pay for staff members who fill in for teachers, increasing their rate from $20 to $25 an hour and from $30 per 90 minutes to $37.50 per 90 minutes for teachers covering for coworkers who were absent.
Staff brought the measure back to the board July 9 because the initiative ended at the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year and officials said the need for the compensation still exists.
The initial request failed with a tie vote because of the absence of board member Bill Sorensen.
However, Sorensen brought the request back for a board vote on Sept. 9. This time the measure passed 3-2 with board members David Sandoval, Cory Underhill and Sorensen voting yes and board members Rebecca Hill and Beverly Pingerelli voting no.
Prior to the vote, Hill requested to table the vote to receive advice on the legality of the new vote.
However, the board moved forward with the vote because policy allows a measure to be reconsidered if a board member was absent during the initial vote.
“A board member was absent during a vote of the agenda item, doesn’t that meet the criteria? I’d like to move forward,” Sorensen said. “I don’t think we should be waiting any longer. Our teachers are already getting hammered with inflation, right? We continue to print money and make less. I don’t want to wait on this. I would like to move forward on this item.”
The estimated cost is of the new rate is $86,000.
Pingerelli opposed the compensation because “people are often asked to step up and don’t get compensation.” Hill opposed the initiative because it was a temporary increase based on workloads during the COVID-19 pandemic but didn’t consider it necessary right now.
School officials said there continues to be a need for the pay, pointing out that from January to the end of the school year, more than 660 staff members provided more than 3,100 hours in classroom coverage.
Underhill said the initiative is justified because teachers often lose their prep time when covering for others. She said people think prep time is for preparation and grading, but the truth is those things fall at the very bottom. During prep time, teachers are contacting parents and working with students and getting makeup work for students who have been out and a million other things before grading or prepping, Underhill said.
“As a teacher, class coverage is critical right now. I’ve done it many times. I’ve done it all day. I’ve done it when we’ve shared our preps. All those things really do impact our students and our jobs, which can continue into the evening.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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