Independence board hears proposal to outsource substitute staffing to Kelly Education

The Independence School District Board of Education heard a presentation on outsourcing substitute staffing to Kelly Education at a work session. Kelly representative Brandy Misenheimer described a local operations model, training and benefits for substitutes and said Kelly could begin implementation after board approval.

Misenheimer told the board Kelly maintains an on-site presence in the Kansas City market, conducts neighborhood recruiting and provides role-specific prehire training and monthly professional development for substitutes. "We have 2,000 individuals that we've already hired in your community that you'll be able to tap into," she said, describing a pool the company would use to staff Independence schools.

Why it matters: Independence staff and board members said the district faces ongoing substitute shortages and a roughly 70% fill rate this year. Board members focused on what outsourcing would mean for costs, continuity and administrative workload: whether the district would see higher fill rates; whether current substitutes would transition to Kelly payroll; and how reporting and technology integration would work.

Kelly presented a cost model that includes a 27% vendor markup (Kelly's "mark") over the district's substitute wage to cover payroll taxes, workers' compensation, background checks, Frontline integration and other services. Misenheimer said the district's published comparison used the district's current 70% fill-rate baseline and that, if fill rates increase, the district would pay for more substitute days at the vendor mark. "For easy math, if you paid substitutes $100 now, your bill rate would be $127," she said.

Board members pressed for clarity on how that markup interacts with district payroll savings. Misenheimer said some district costs (payroll taxes, workers' compensation and some administrative time) would shift off the district's books, narrowing the apparent difference between current payroll outlays and a vendor-managed model. She also said Kelly typically converts more than 90% of active district substitutes to Kelly payroll after orientation and a re-check of background screening.

On operations, Misenheimer said Kelly integrates with Frontline so teachers and administrators would continue to enter absences as they do now; Kelly would receive those requests and manage scheduling and weekly payroll. She described ongoing metrics tracking through Frontline and a Kelly PowerBI dashboard to monitor participation rates and inform recruiting and pool sizing. Misenheimer said Kelly provides regular partnership reviews and can auto-send reports on a weekly or monthly schedule.

Board members also asked whether principals could request particular substitutes for short- or long-term assignments; Misenheimer said principals retain the ability to request and assign substitutes and that long-term placements can be coordinated through Kelly.

Several board members and a meeting participant asked about partner districts and outcomes. Misenheimer listed Lee's Summit, Liberty, Shawnee Mission, Hickman Mills, Grand View and Kansas City Public Schools as local Kelly partners and provided reported partner fill rates she said range from about 80% to the mid-90s. She told the board three partner districts that started below 45% saw substantial improvements after Kelly engagement, though she did not provide independent verification in the session.

No vote or contract action was taken at the work session. The meeting concluded with adjournment after board members had insufficient time to finalize additional questions.

Notes on attribution: quotes and specific figures in this story are attributed to people who spoke during the work session. Where the transcript offered alternate spellings for a proper name, this story uses the consistent spellings adopted in the transcript and corrected obvious place-name misspellings ("Shawnee Mission").

Next steps: Board members requested follow-up on final cost impacts at higher fill rates, details on any services excluded from the 27% mark, a run-down of the exact reports Kelly would provide and a timeline for substitute transition and background rechecks if the board elects to pursue a contract.