Pewaukee board renews substitute-services contract; district reports high fill rates

The Pewaukee School District Board approved a renewal of the district’s substitute staffing contract with Teachers on Call for the 2025–26 and 2026–27 school years. District staff said Teachers on Call has served the district since roughly 2012 and provided a high fill rate this past year: more than 99% for teacher positions and over 97% overall.

John (district staff) summarized the recommended rates: a base daily rate of $125 for substitutes, a higher tier at $140 for longer-serving substitutes and a long-term rate of $165 per day for extended assignments. District staff said the vendor fee (to manage payroll, benefits and recruitment) is approximately 29% of payroll; staff noted the fee has increased from earlier contract years as vendor offerings expanded to include benefit options for substitutes. The district characterized the 29% fee as covering payroll administration, benefits management and substitute recruitment and training; district staff said employing substitutes directly would likely require additional internal staffing and retirement/benefit costs the district would otherwise bear.

A motion to approve the contract renewal carried; the board did not record roll-call tallies in the meeting transcript. Board members asked about the fee percentage and whether substitutes are employees of Teachers on Call; staff confirmed the substitutes are employed by Teachers on Call, and that the fee covers most vendor services except some district-specific cost-management functions.