Kelly Education outlines substitute staffing, training and retention supports for Nash County

Kelly Education representatives gave a detailed briefing to Nash County Public Schools committee members on May 15 about the company's substitute-teacher and school-staffing work in the district, emphasizing high fill rates, training requirements and a pathway for some substitute hires to move into permanent positions.

The presentation, led by account manager Denise Fazio and client services director Caroline Clayton and introduced by district staff member Miss Wallace, said Kelly began serving Nash County in the 2021-22 school year and has increased substitute fill rates each year. "Our fill rate that year was 77.78" and later rose to 87.27 and 88.74 in subsequent years, the presenters said; they also reported a 96.61 percent fill rate for the current school year. The presentation said Kelly has hired 227 new substitutes in the most recent year, bringing the company's roster to about 370 substitutes assigned to Nash County schools.

Why it matters: centralizing substitute recruitment and scheduling through a vendor can reduce day-to-day administrative burdens on school treasurers and front-office staff and provides the district with a single point of contact for incident management and payroll support.

Fazio summarized the vendor's services: recruiting and screening, onboarding, mandatory training, scheduling and reporting, incident response and payroll/benefit administration. She described required trainings that Kelly helps candidates complete, including state background checks (the presenter said the state background check cost is $26.50), fingerprinting and pediatric CPR/first-aid training (the transcript lists a $45 skills-test option for some courses). The company said it pays certain upfront costs for candidates to complete required clearances and certifications and that it offers a two-hour virtual substitute orientation called ClassMarks plus additional modules for EC and pre-K placements such as ChildCare Smart content and DHHS-mandated modules.

Kelly outlined staff supports and benefits offered to its temporary employees, including weekly pay (every Friday), access to health care options, retirement planning through a partner, bonuses and incentives, and periodic recognition efforts (a monthly "sub of the month" program and onsite appreciation visits). Fazio described a Talent/Incident team that handles workman's comp, urgent care referrals, return-to-work accommodations and other incident follow-up so building staff do not have to manage those processes alone.

District staff gave examples of how the partnership has produced hires: in four years the presenter said at least 18 Kelly substitutes have been hired into full-time district positions such as bookkeeper, teacher and teacher assistant, and the district's current Spring Hill Elementary bookkeeper (named in the presentation) formerly worked through Kelly.

On discipline and removal, the presenters said schools retain the authority to request that Kelly block a substitute from working in the district; Kelly will then pursue termination or other personnel action as requested by the district.

Questions from board members focused on pay comparability and operational details. A board member asked how Nash County's substitute pay compares with surrounding counties; the presenter answered that pay is "very comparable and in some areas above," and that minimum increases in state biennium budgets had required moving substitute pay to at least $15 per hour in some roles.

No new contract or formal vote on a contract was taken at the committee meeting; the presentation was for information and updates only. District staff said they originally contracted with Kelly Education in the 2021-22 school year and that Kelly continues to provide recruitment, scheduling and staffing services.

Ending: Kelly's account team told the board members it will continue local recruiting events (including an upcoming job fair) and coordination with Nash Community College for training. The presenters left contact information for treasurers and principals to request help with frontline login, candidate assignment issues, or to start the process to convert a substitute to a district hire.