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Board votes to end ESSER-funded permanent guest teacher program after report of low substitute fill rates
Summary
The board voted 3–2 to eliminate the district’s permanent guest teacher program (positions created with ESSER funds) for FY2026–27 and rely on on-call substitutes; administration reported an ESI fill rate of about 66% last year. Several board members asked for site-level utilization reports if the change is reconsidered.
The Liberty Elementary District governing board voted 3–2 on June 8 to eliminate the permanent guest teacher program for FY2026–27, returning those roles to on-call substitute staffing. Administration said the original permanent positions were established during ESSER funding and that the district no longer has the grant revenue to sustain them as permanent, benefit-eligible positions.
Administration reported the vendor ESI had a district-wide fill rate of about 66% last year and that roughly 3,600 substitute requests generated approximately 2,500 fills. That record prompted debate: some board members and principals said permanent guest teachers provided reliable daily coverage and supported student learning and school operations; others said the program’s grant-funded origin meant it could not be continued without dedicated funding.
Board members asked for better utilization reporting from principals if the program is reconsidered later. The motion to eliminate the program passed 3–2 after members reported disagreement about whether ESI’s 66% fill rate and grant funding status justified ending permanent subs. Several board members expressed concern about classroom coverage and asked administration to monitor substitute coverage closely as the district moves to on-call subs for next year.
The board also voted to ask staff to produce more detailed site-level utilization reports if members later want to revisit the program.
