A board committee discussed options to increase the substitute pool, retain substitute incentives and address low district‑level scores on an employee‑engagement survey.

Why it matters: Substitute shortages affect classroom coverage and can increase principals’ costs when schools assign staff to cover absent colleagues. The committee said improving substitute availability is a recurring operational challenge.

At an Aug. 14 committee meeting summarized to the full board, Director Dee Garcia reported research on hiring an outside agency to secure and manage substitutes; presenters said similar agencies had increased substitute availability in other districts by about 20%. Committee members noted a trade‑off: contracting with an agency would create a new fee but could reduce the need for principals to pull staff from classrooms and pay overtime.

The committee said it will continue to collect data from other districts and evaluate incentives such as bonuses and paid time off for substitutes before making a recommendation to the full board.

Committee members also discussed the district’s employee engagement survey; the committee identified a low score on the question framed as whether staff would “recommend parents select my organization to serve their child.” Presenters said the result may reflect respondents rating their individual school highly while rating the district as a whole lower, and that the district will move to a different vendor and survey instrument (School Perceptions) to clarify response framing.

No board action was recorded; the committee said it will return with additional data and recommendations.