Pay is a sticky issue in some districts. While happy that a pay hike is in the works, some Fairfield-Suisun teachers say subs deserve more. I do appreciate that at least they don't want to be lower than Vacaville, but we can do better. Substitutes receive no benefits or retirement pay and do not belong to teachers unions, but in Fairfield-Suisun they are at the heart of the only contract issue as yet unresolved. Teachers want the right to refuse the district's requirement that they relinquish their preparation periods when the administration fails to track down substitutes for their colleagues.
Every time there is no substitute, five teachers lose their prep time.
That means their students lose. The Will C. Wood High School left-hander felt bad but he probably couldn't have thrown much better. He scattered eight hits and struck out nine as the Wildcats beat Napa 6-1 in the Monticello Empire League opener. It was the sixth straight win for Wood, which improved to 7-5 overall. The Wildcats are also unbeaten in three games at the school's new ballpark.