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Craven County Schools reviews ESS substitute contract amid cost, coverage debate
Summary
Human resources staff told the board ESS increased substitute fill rates and reduced district staffing burden but raised the district—9s costs; board members asked staff to consider a competitive bid process.
Dr. Lakeisha Boone, a Craven County Schools staff member, told the school board the district switched to ESS for substitute staffing at the start of the 2024-25 school year and that the vendor increased the district—s substitute pool and fill rates while absorbing certain administrative costs.
The presentation, given at the board—s April work session, laid out the district—s analysis comparing in-house substitute staffing with ESS. Boone said ESS increased the district—s available substitutes by more than 100 and raised monthly fill rates "by 7% to 15%" in several months, while shifting background-check, payroll and worker-compensation work off district staff.
Why it matters: The ESS contract has operational benefits — principals told the board their teacher assistants are being pulled less often and had more consistent substitute coverage — but the vendor model also changes the district—s cost profile. Board members and staff disagreed over whether the higher near-term cost is justified by those operational gains and whether the contract should be re-bid.
Boone told the board ESS paid for background…
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