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Warren County schools propose staffing changes: in‑house substitutes, targeted hires, and pay adjustments to address shortages
Summary
School leaders proposed bringing substitutes in‑house (projected payroll ~$1.1M), requested targeted hires for pupil services and special education, and outlined a three‑year strategy to raise and realign pay scales to improve retention and recruitment.
Warren County Public Schools detailed staffing proposals intended to reduce turnover, improve classroom continuity and shore up services for students with high‑need behaviors.
Substitute staffing: the division recommended moving substitute staffing from a contracted vendor to an in‑house model. Officials said that bringing substitutes on payroll would increase flexibility to move substitutes across buildings, permit better time‑and‑attendance controls, and provide a modest per‑day savings compared with some contracted rates; the presentation estimated in‑house substitute payroll near $1.1 million for FY27.
Targeted hires and role changes: budget materials list roughly 8.5 new positions with plans to absorb about five positions through attrition for a net increase of about 3.5 FTEs. Proposed additions include a pupil‑services director, a BCBA to support general‑education teachers with behavior strategies, a systems technician for cybersecurity, two psychologist interns (intended to be offset by Medicaid billing), and a financial analyst to strengthen special‑education accounting and internal controls.
Pay scales and recruitment: the division proposed a 4% salary increase plus step advancement for FY27 and outlined a multi‑year strategy to revisit scales next year (a proposed 3% + step in year two). Staff said the increases aim to move pay closer to neighboring counties and to cover positions such as bus drivers, instructional assistants and school nurses, where the division struggles to recruit applicants at current pay levels.
Supervisor concerns and benefits comparison: supervisors asked staff to provide a side‑by‑side comparison of total compensation (salary plus benefits) with nearby counties because employees’ out‑of‑pocket insurance costs affect the net competitiveness of offers. Staff agreed to prepare that comparison once insurance renewal numbers and state revenue inputs are available.
Quote: “We found that we were pretty low in the five surrounding counties. ... The 4% plus step is really meant to get us back up in the ballpark,” Miss Drake said of the proposed scale adjustments.
What’s next: school staff will return with more detailed compensation comparisons, final insurance renewal data and planned expense offsets (for example, Medicaid billing assumptions for the psychologist interns) during the final budget adoption cycle.
