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Paraeducator substitutes raise alarm over planned transfer to private staffing firm ESS
Summary
A paraeducator substitute at PPS urged the board to reconsider a planned transfer of paraeducator substitute management to Education Solutions Services (ESS), calling the change a privatization risk and urging transparency about costs and continuity.
During public comment Oct. 14, a paraeducator substitute raised concerns about a district plan to transfer paraeducator substitute staffing to Education Solutions Services (ESS), a private staffing company, and urged the board for transparency and reconsideration.
Kathy Huck, who identified herself as a retired paraeducator and current para‑sub with the district, said the district’s HR message announcing the move arrived about three weeks earlier and described an anticipated transfer to ESS around mid‑October. Huck said para‑subs had been told they would be dismissed from PPS and would need to apply to ESS to continue working—an approach she described as "selling off" district employees and a risk of privatizing public education work.
Huck questioned whether ESS would actually fill the positions more effectively than the district and asked whether the district had tried other internal strategies to fill vacancies, such as improved recruitment by principals, before turning to a private vendor. She listed concerns about pay and benefits and urged the board to keep paraeducators as district employees, saying para‑subs make roughly $24 an hour plus small benefits contributions.
The board acknowledged the concern and thanked the commenter for raising it. Staff did not provide an immediate policy decision at the meeting. The comment was recorded as part of the public record and the board signaled openness to follow‑up; the board did not take immediate formal action on the ESS staffing arrangement during the meeting.
The commenter asked for clear, transparent financial information and a district‑level explanation of why the private partnership was the chosen approach rather than additional internal recruitment and retention efforts. The board indicated staff would follow up on public comment items as appropriate.
