Abby K-12 offers extra pay to attract substitutes
By Kevin O’Brien $130 per day for the first 10 days they worked in the district.
In order to attract more substitute teachers and other short-term staff, the Abbotsford School Board voted Monday to pay an extra $100 for every 10 days someone agrees to fill in at the district.
Superintendent Ryan Bargender told board members that the new pay incentive would apply retroactively to substitutes who worked in the district this school year, with payouts coming at the end of the year. He estimated it would cost the district an additional $2,000 or so.
Bargender said the incentive pay is a way to get substitute staff to choose working in Abbotsford over Colby, Owen-Withee or other neighboring districts.
“It’s kind of a way to say thank-you for coming in,” he said. “This could be substitute teachers, someone subbing in the kitchen, subbing in the office or a nurse aid.”
Both full and partial days will be counted toward the incentive pay, he said, but it will not apply to long-term substitutes, who are paid at higher rates already.
In a related matter, the board amended the district’s employee handbook to eliminate a 10-day waiting period before long-term subs can make the full daily rate of $219.25, which is based on a starting teacher’s salary. Previously, long-term subs would make
Other business
■ After meeting in closed session, the board voted to give teachers and administration a 3 percent salary increase for 20252026 and support staff a 4 percent increase ($0.56/per hour).
■ The board voted to switch to Security Health for its employee health insurance plans after Aspirus proposed a 12 percent renewal rate for next year. The district belongs to a consortium of districts that are all members of Marathon County Special Education, and the group went out for bids in response to the 12 percent renewal rate.
Bargender said the rates could decrease by as much as 6 percent next year if all of the staff stay within the type of plans they have now. However, if all of the staff who are currently in narrow-network plans switch to broad-network plans, premiums could go up as much as 5 percent. Bargender said that would be the worst-case scenario, and the district won’t know the actual change until employees have signed up for plans.
■ The board approved a new compensation model for a 2025-2026 that includes a 5 percent across-the-board increase in stipends for coaches and extra-curricular advisors. Bargender said those pay rates have not been increased in the 11 years he’s been in the district.
■ The board accepted the following resignations: Luis Nava Rojas as middle school wrestling coach, Anna Buchberger as kindergarten dual language teacher, Larry Lecheler as girls varsity basketball coach, Lisa Mickelson as cook helper, Yenifer Garcia as elementary administrative assistant, Brian Popp as Spanish teacher, and Amanda Herman as agriculture teacher.
■ The board approved the following hirings: Mason Rachu as technology education teacher, Riley Schreiner as four-year-old kindergarten teacher, Jeffery Grambort as special education bus driver, Ashtyn Schmitz as elementary administrative assistant, Sage Soppa as co-head boys wrestling coach, Carlos Lara as volunteer baseball coach and Jack Schindler as volunteer track coach.
