The Ferguson‑Florissant Board of Education approved a measure on Tuesday to contract virtual certified teachers and continue using long‑term substitutes as an interim strategy while the district recruits permanent teachers.

Board member Dr. Martin moved to approve consent‑agenda item 7(n), the virtual certified teacher contract, and the board voted to adopt the measure. Administration described a two‑part approach: (1) long‑term substitutes assigned in classrooms for the full school year at a budgeted estimated cost of about $37,800 per position (including added professional development days provided to long‑term subs) and (2) a virtual certified teacher service estimated at roughly $18,000 per classroom to provide two hours of live, targeted instruction per day (for example, one hour in ELA and one hour in math). Administration said virtual teachers would be certified and would deliver subject‑specific instruction without district benefits because the staffing arrangement is contracted.

The board focused discussion on how the use of contracted services and substitutes affects the district’s FTE (full‑time‑equivalent) counts and budget transparency. Administrators said the district’s certified staffing allocation is 619.5 FTE and that, under current enrollment, fully filling every position would put the district’s total certified headcount at about 634 — leaving roughly 30 FTE between the budgeted allocation and full staffing. Several trustees asked that when the administration requests a budget amendment to cover increased substitute costs, the request show which specific FTEs are being covered, so that the board and the public can track whether the district is moving dollars by position or only by dollar amount.

Administrators said the virtual and long‑term substitute plan intentionally targets the most acute classroom needs rather than replacing every vacancy. The administration identified several schools as likely near‑term sites for supplemental support (slides referenced Berkeley, Cross Keys, Combs and Griffith elementary schools with preliminary classroom counts cited). The board also discussed recruiting efforts — including an upcoming hiring fair and university partnerships to place teacher candidates — and asked administration to provide a clear schedule for when virtual services would be terminated if a certified teacher is hired. Administrators said a 60‑day notice would be used to end contracted virtual coverage once a permanent hire is in place.

The board did not change the certified staffing allocation during the meeting. Trustees asked the administration to (1) present the budget amendment that captures which FTEs are being shifted to cover substitute and virtual services, and (2) show the payroll/benefits components included in each cost estimate so the board can see the total cost per classroom.