Day-to-Day Substitutes, Building Substitutes, and Full-Time Substitutes may be eligible for different types of benefits. Please read below for information regarding time off, health benefits, PSERS pension benefits, work-related injuries, travel reimbursements, and more resources.
Sick Days and Vacation Days
Day-to-Day Substitutes are not eligible for sick days or vacation days.
Full-Time Substitutes and Building Substitutes are eligible for 6 noncumulative sick days per semester. They do not carry over and are not paid out at the end of the year. Full-Time Substitutes and Building Substitutes are not eligible for vacation days.
Day-to-Day Substitutes and Building Substitutes are not eligible for health benefits.
Full-Time Substitutes who have reached Step 2 of the Full-Time Substitute salary schedule are eligible for health benefits. Once you reach Step 2, you will receive an email from Human Resources informing you that you are now eligible to enroll in Health Benefits. For more information on how to move to Step 2 of the Full-Time Substitute salary schedule, please see Pay and Payroll Schedule.
eBenefits system within 31 days of their eligibility date. An email with the eBenefits Enrollment guide will be sent to them if they become benefits eligible. They will be able to access the eBenefits online system within 7 days following your benefits eligible date.
If they become eligible on or before the 15th of the month, benefits will be effective the first day of the next month. If you become eligible after the 15th of the month, benefits will be effective the first day of the 2nd month.
You will be enrolled in benefits as long as you remain on Step 2 or 3 of the Full-Time Substitute salary schedule. For more information, please reference Article 91, Section 3 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for Teachers and Other Professionals.
If you are a Step 2 or Step 3 Full-Time Substitute who is currently receiving Pittsburgh Public Schools benefits, your benefits will end approximately one month following your return to Day-to-Day Substitute status.
PSERS, the Public School Employees’ Retirement System, is a governmental, cost-sharing, multiple-employer retirement plan to which the public-school employers, the Commonwealth of PA., and school employees (members) contribute.
PSERS membership is mandatory for qualifying employees of Pennsylvania public school entities. Qualification is determined by employment type and the amount of service rendered during a school year (July 1 – June 30) as defined by PSERS, not the employer.
Day- to-Day Substitute teachers are classified as part-time per-diem employees. You must initially meet certain qualifications to become a member of PSERS. As a Day-to-Day Substitute teacher, you must work at least 80 days in a school year to become eligible for PSERS membership. Once you become eligible for membership, your paycheck will reflect the deduction of pension contribution that will be paid to PSERS.
Pittsburgh Public Schools does not determine unemployment eligibility. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry handles unemployment benefits and determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
