Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dover board approves Kelly Education contract to provide substitute teachers
Summary
The board approved a new agreement with Kelly Education to supply substitute teachers districtwide, shifting substitutes to Kelly payroll with the aim of improving fill rates while aiming for cost neutrality.
The Dover Area School District Board on June 16 approved a new service agreement with Kelly Education to provide substitute-teacher staffing and related recruiting services for the 2026–27 school year.
Director McKenna moved the contract approval and the motion passed unanimously in open session. Board discussion at committee and in the meeting focused on operational impacts: substitutes will become employees of Kelly (paychecks processed by Kelly), recruiting and the applicant pool will be expanded via Kelly’s platform, and the district will retain authority to request removal of any substitute that does not meet its expectations. Administration and human-resources staff said the arrangement is intended to be cost neutral overall, with savings possible from reduced benefits administration and improved fill rates.
Dr. Mitchell, who has experience with third‑party substitute providers in other districts, said: "We saw about net‑neutral savings with it and we actually built our subpool to increase our fill rates throughout the school year." The board noted Kelly will manage recruitment tools, interview nights, and routine applicant flow; Kelly will also provide the recruiting software and assume payroll and workers’ compensation responsibilities for substitutes placed under the agreement.
Board members asked whether the switch would change substitute pay or increase district exposure to unemployment/workers’ compensation costs; HR staff replied that substitutes will become Kelly employees and that the arrangement should not increase the district’s insurance rate because those employees will no longer appear on the district payroll. The district will continue to control building-level permissions and may exclude individuals if concerns arise.
What happens next: administration will work with Kelly to implement onboarding, post local recruitment details, and coordinate recruiting events and candidate interviews. The board approved the contract after committee recommendation and expects human-resources staff to monitor the transition and report on fill rates and cost neutrality.
