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Substitute teachers, unions press SFUSD over Red Rover problems and benefits access
Summary
Substitute educators, union leaders and principals told the board that the new Red Rover substitute-management platform is failing veteran substitutes, blocking sick-leave access and contributing to loss of health benefits, and announced plans for organized actions to press for fixes and better staffing practices.
Dozens of substitute teachers, administrators and union representatives told the San Francisco Board of Education that the district's implementation of the Red Rover substitute-management platform and a surge in uncredentialed hires have left veteran substitutes struggling to find work and unable to access earned sick time and benefits.
"Red Rover is not working," said multiple speakers, including long-time substitutes who said they now compete with a larger pool of largely inexperienced hires. One speaker cited about 1,100 substitutes available for 350–400 daily positions, and multiple substitutes described being unable to log sick leave on the platform for months.
Natalie Hrisey, vice president of substitutes for United Educators of San Francisco, urged the board to ensure substitutes receive legally required sick leave and to correct how hours are counted so educators keep health coverage. Anna Clafter, president of the United Administrators of San Francisco, said UASF will boycott a mandatory administrator meeting Oct. 29 in a labor action over raises and working conditions.
Principals and teachers corroborated the staffing and workload problems and described the district as overburdened by a higher number of hires who require extensive on-site training. "Some mornings, we stay up until 3 a.m. refreshing Red Rover over and over for jobs," a substitute said.
Superintendent Soong and board leaders acknowledged the concerns and directed staff to follow up; the Q&A and subsequent budget conversation signaled that human-resources and fiscal teams are expected to address position-control and hiring procedure reforms.
Next steps: unions and administrator groups plan public actions and have asked staff to report remediation plans for Red Rover sick-leave access, position-control transparency, and a pathway to restore preferred hiring lists used by schools.
