OSTA letter to the editor supporting all the hard work that Representative Noble did for substitute teachers.

I am Sally Sue Cellers, an Oregon educator for 54 years.

I support HB 3130 which is an equity and restorative bill for substitute teachers.

Thank you, Chairman Holvey and Committee Members for your attention to our bill.

I’m an example of the highly qualified, professional substitute teacher who is an integral part of the educational team.  Since 1977 I have worked with the Oregon Substitute Teachers Association to represent and support substitute teachers.  In 2000 I was part of a delegation of three who traveled to Washington D. C. and established the National Association of Substitute Teachers. 

In 1997 the minimum salary for Oregon substitute teachers was set at 85% of the average first-year teacher (without benefits).  Experience and advanced degrees are not included.  I have 54 years of experience and a master’s degree.  However, working almost every day I earn the equivalent of a high school dropout per year.*  The ability to accrue retirement hours made it possible for me to consider substituting as my profession.  Earning these hours is our only benefit.  Attracting highly qualified, dedicated substitutes is imperative to the continuity of classroom instruction.  

The passage of HB 3130 would reaffirm, through the legislature, that Oregon substitute teachers who work for public schools are public employees and therefore eligible to receive PERS benefits.  This bill would restore these benefits established in 1971.  It would afford the same benefits as substitute teachers who are not outsourced.  

The Oregon Substitute Teachers Association is appreciative of the opportunity to share the importance of HB 3130 as an “equity and restorative” bill.

*US Bureau of Labor Statistics: (Oct. 2019) 

                           Median weekly salary of a high school dropout:  $606

                           Median weekly salary with a master’s degree:  $1,559