Maplewood Richmond Heights School District has announced a new process to become a substitute teacher. Kelly Educational Staffing will coordinate and manage the substitute teacher program, rather than being done in-house.
According to MRH, Kelly offers substitute teachers group medical insurance plans, training opportunities, weekly paychecks, direct deposit, a bonus plan, a 401(k) retirement program, and summer employment opportunities.
The sub teachers will be paid the same as if they were being paid by MRH. The overall cost to MRH is expected to be about the same, as MRH has eliminated its sub scheduler position and other administrative costs.
The benefits of the new process, according to MRH:
- MRH still picks which subs are used throughout the district.
- Retired teachers, who have long-term and direct classroom experience, will no longer be subject to limited hours.
- Subs can work more hours because they will not subject to the Affordable Care Act (some of our best substitute teachers were formerly limited and this allows them to be available and in our classrooms more).
- The overall pool of available subs is larger through Kelly that what MRH previously had access to.
National Public Radio in St. Louis (KWMU) reports that Parkway and Normandy school districts are going with Kelly Staffing as well.
Brentwood School District superintendent, David Faulkner, said they are aware of the program and are still studying the costs and benefits of using an outside contractor.
“Finding and keeping good substitute teachers has always been a challenge, even in attractive districts,” he said. “If we can manage our own sub pool, we will continue with that system so long as it remains the less expensive option.”
EDIT: “if they can been” should be “if they had been.”
Let’s hope Kelly can do a better job of organizing it. MRH could have had a larger pool of substitutes if they can been more welcoming to applicants. Any phone inquiry was met with a rude “just look at the website” and a refusal to answer any questions at all until all the paperwork and redundant background checks were completed.