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Central York SD reports sharper substitute coverage after pay and perks changes
Summary
At its June 16 board meeting, the district’s education services staff reported substitute fill rates rose from about 50% last year to roughly 80% this year after increases in daily pay, expanded building-substitute assignments and free lunches for subs.
Central York School District officials told the board June 16 that changes to substitute pay and assignments produced a marked improvement in coverage this school year.
At the meeting, a district staff presenter said the district averaged about a 50% substitute fill rate across the prior 2023–24 year but has moved toward an average around 80% this school year after a series of changes implemented last summer. “We increased the daily pay rate,” the presenter said, adding the district redefined extended-term assignments, expanded building substitutes and offered free lunches to substitutes.
The presentation said the district now has three long-term substitutes on the central payroll (semester-long assignments), about 125 STS (third‑party) substitutes who filled assignments across the district, and 24 STS substitutes who filled extended-term assignments. The district recorded 1,553 substitute lunches taken under the free-lunch benefit this year. Building-substitute coverage reached three at the high school, two at each middle school and increased coverage at the primary buildings; the district said it did not fill the two planned special‑education floater positions this year.
District staff cautioned that “fill rate” statistics only cover professional positions that require substitutes; in some unfilled cases, existing staff covered classes by giving up planning time or splitting groups, the presentation said. Board members who asked questions were told the trend toward higher fill rates is likely reducing pressure on teachers and administrators but may still cost released planning time in some schools.
Staff said a substitute-pay survey for 2025–26 from the local intermediate unit (LIU) is complete and will be reviewed before any pay changes next year. The district also said it plans to continue monthly summer meetings to review substitute staffing and will report any changes to the board before the school year begins.
The district presentation noted a remaining priority to recruit special‑education floaters and recommended continuing recruitment and competitive pay to further improve coverage.
