PORTLAND — The School Board approved pay increases for substitute teachers.

It is the first such adjustment in more than six years and puts the School Department “back in a competitive position in the face of a substitute teacher shortage that school districts in Maine and around the nation are experiencing,” according to a department press release.

The new substitute pay rates are $85 a day for subs with a two-year college degree or at least 60 college credits; $95 a day for subs with a bachelor’s degree, and $100 for subs certified to teach in Maine. The daily rate for substitute nurses is $125.

To apply, go to the employment page on the department website at www.portlandschools.org.