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Board briefed on substitute shortage; HR recommends raising daily rates to improve fill rates
Summary
Human-resources staff told the board Dover Area SD has one of the lowest daily substitute pay rates in York County, a 69% fill rate and unfilled nurse and paraprofessional positions; administrators presented options including raising daily pay or using a substitute service.
The board heard a detailed report from Shannon Brodbeck, director of human resources, on substitute staffing shortages and options to address them. "The sub rates are currently the lowest in York County at a $110 per day versus the average sub rate of a $130 per day," Brodbeck told the board, and she said the district's day-to-day substitute fill rate is about 69 percent.
Brodbeck explained the district pays hidden costs when a teacher covers classes because fill shortfalls require prep-period coverage, split classes and other internal staffing adjustments. Those coverages, she said, raise the effective cost of an unfilled day to substantially more than the listed sub rate. She outlined choices for the board: keep rates and hope fill improves, raise daily sub pay and keep substitute management in-house, contract with a substitute service, or raise rates while using a substitute service. Brodbeck said neighboring districts using substitute services have increased, making internal recruitment more difficult.
She provided several specific problem areas: the nurse substitute rate is $17.27 an hour and has produced no hires in recent recruitment; neighboring districts were reported to pay a day's rate as high as $250 for nurse substitutes. Paraprofessional coverage pay was reported as $12.72 an hour in the district versus roughly $15 in nearby districts.
Superintendent Dr. Hauck and Brodbeck recommended the board review numbers Brodbeck will email and consider an August agenda item so any rate change could be in place for the start of school. Brodbeck said long-term substitute pay remains governed by the contract and is competitive; the immediate concern is day-to-day coverage.
Board members asked for detailed cost comparisons; Brodbeck said she will circulate figures showing the budgetary impact of a 9% increase in day-to-day substitute pay, the cost of using a substitute service such as Kelly Education, and the district's internal coverage costs.
