Union says substitute contract, not absences, is driving coverage problems; district pledges continued data review
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Summary
The Dover Education Association disputed district comments blaming teacher absences for coverage issues, presented attendance data showing declines, and requested a meeting; district leaders said prior figures showed a partial view and pledged continued analysis and union meetings.
John Coniglio, president of the Dover Education Association, told the board during the public-comment period that the association’s review of attendance data shows staff absences have decreased compared with last year and therefore are not the root cause of the district’s coverage problems.
"Attendance is not worse than last year," Coniglio said, disputing district comments at a prior meeting that suggested high absence days and linking coverage problems to teacher leave. He said the district has never had days this school year with 80 or 130 teacher absences, and that only four days reached about 70 absences—each tied to mandatory professional development—contradicting previously reported figures.
Coniglio and the association said the district should focus on substitute procurement and coverage arrangements—specifically the exclusive contract with EduStaff—rather than targeting teachers for using earned leave. "The issue is not attendance, but the current substitute service, particularly the exclusive contract with EDUStaff," he said, and requested a meeting with a board committee to discuss solutions.
Administrator Mister Jaime responded that the prior data shared at an earlier meeting reflected only one building and not districtwide trends. He said the intent in December was clarification, not to point fingers, and that administration meets monthly with union leadership and is continuing to analyze coverage data. Jaime noted EduStaff filled subs at a faster rate in September and October than in the previous year and said administration would keep working with the union and conduct additional data review.
Why it matters: substitute coverage affects classroom instruction and scheduling. The union’s request for a formal meeting could become part of negotiations or a joint problem-solving process; administration’s pledge to continue data analysis frames the next steps.
Next steps: the board and administration agreed to pursue meetings among union leadership, administrators and board representatives to review data and identify solutions; no executive session was convened at this meeting.
