NORWICH – Are substitute teachers adequately compensated for their time and experience? According to one of Norwich’s retired teachers, the answer is no.

Jim Wysor retired from the Norwich City School District after teaching for 34 years. For the last five and a half years, he has continued to work for school district as a substitute teacher. He enjoys it, he said. All but the pay.

“Do you see the value of having the best possible subs?” Wysor asked the district’s school board at Tuesday’s meeting. “Do you see the value of paying for experience and expertise in subs?”

Wysor’s appearance at the meeting was a follow up to an e-mail he had sent to Superintendent Gerard O’Sullivan and members of the school board, expressing his concerns regarding the compensation of the district’s substitutes and the policy for long-term subs.

“Substitute pay has not been increased in this district in eight years, possibly more,” said Wysor. Non-certified subs receive $60 a day in compensation, certified subs receive $65 and retired certified teachers are paid a per diem rate of $100.

“I think I am worth more than $100 a day. That’s about $12 an hour for 34 years of teaching experience,” said Wysor.

The educator also questioned the district’s policy for compensating long term substitutes. Subs are currently required to work five weeks at the per diem rate before being put on “step,” where they are paid a percentage of the prevailing salary for entry-level teachers. According to the district’s Human Resources Director Kim Perez, that rate is currently $172.50 per day.

Wysor said he believes retired teachers should be placed on step immediately when they are asked to fill in long-term.