District reports early gains after switching substitute staffing to EDUStaff; trustees seek more financial detail
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Summary
EduStaff partnership raised substitute fill rates in April–May and boosted the pool of approved substitutes, but board members asked for a larger sample and a clearer cost/benefit analysis; district reported a markup on EDUStaff services and noted savings potential on long-term and super-sub placements.
District staff and EDUStaff representatives gave trustees an update on June 24 about the district’s new EDUStaff substitute staffing partnership, which went live in mid-April.
EDUStaff district manager Heather Smith and EDUStaff representative Dan Sadler presented initial data showing increased numbers of recruits and improved fill rates in April and May. Heather Smith said the program inherited 97 daily substitutes, 12 long-term substitutes and 10 super substitutes from the district’s prior roster and that 80 of those original substitutes had rolled over to EDUStaff’s platform. “So far since mid-April to now, we’ve had 18 new subs come on, which is exciting, and there are 8 more pending right now,” Smith said.
Why it matters: Unfilled certified positions require school staff to rearrange duties and can reduce instructional time. EDUStaff’s aim is to raise coverage reliability and relieve site staff of daily recruiting/assignment work.
Early metrics presented by district staff showed improvements in fill rates: April’s reported district-wide fill rate rose to about 78.5% and May was near 77.7%, up from the 60s–70s range earlier in the year. Sick-leave coverage improved to roughly 76% in April–May. The district emphasized that April–May data represent a short sample (roughly two months) and that a larger data set next year will better show net financial impact.
Trustees asked about costs. Board members were told EDUStaff currently charges an upcharge/markup that is being passed to the district; EDUStaff and district personnel reported the increase was “at least 26%” above base pay for daily substitutes. District staff noted that some employer-side costs (employment taxes, benefits administration) are embedded in EDUStaff’s markup and that savings can accrue when EDUStaff supplies long-term substitutes or super subs at lower cost than filling positions internally with site staff using prep time. The district said the daily substitute rate paid to substitutes is $150 and the super-sub daily rate is $175.
Other operational details: EDUStaff staff described recruitment tactics (college outreach, billboards, yard signs, a downtown career fair) and on-boarding steps; a reported 105 substitutes were approved and ready to work in the EDUStaff system at the time of the presentation (with additional incomplete applications pending). Trustees and district staff discussed work to ease veteran substitutes’ transition to the new platform and to provide differentiated onboarding and optional training for long-time substitutes.
Trustees asked for a follow-up financial analysis after a longer sample period, including a net comparison that accounts for the district’s prior internal costs for substitute management, the EDUStaff markup and savings from long-term and super-sub placements. The board recommended revisiting the item mid-year next school year.
Ending: Staff said they will return with more complete fiscal analysis and refined operational data once the EDUStaff partnership has run through additional months.
