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Board hears substitute-teacher data: Frontline calls high, fill rate about 68%
Summary
Division staff told the board that Frontline made 1,957 substitute requests in January and that the system-wide fill rate is about 68% (February snapshot). Staff said last-minute requests drive many unfilled positions and noted that substitutes can preselect assignments in Frontline, skewing some counts; ESS was mentioned as a vendor that can meet expectations.
Division staff presented substitute-teacher data to the school board on March 13, saying the Frontline system placed 1,957 calls for substitute requests in January and that the system-wide fill rate was about 68% in a February snapshot.
The presenter cautioned that the reported counts reflect calls from the Frontline system only and do not capture assignments that principals or classroom teachers arrange directly. "Every substitute that's listed is called and reached out," the presenter said, and added that some substitutes preselect assignments in the system, which can skew counts. Staff gave an example: Blackstone logged 536 Frontline calls in January and filled 28 positions while leaving 17 unfilled.
Board members asked whether absences were mostly scheduled or last-minute. The presenter said most absences are known in advance, but last-minute requests tend to produce the "no fill" cases that trouble administrators. The presenter listed personal and sick leave as the dominant absence categories.
The board also discussed whether some of the 67 substitutes on the list never accept assignments; a member said that if a portion of listed substitutes never work, the pool should be reassessed. Staff replied they would retrieve more detailed data and work with school administrators to address gaps.
Members mentioned ESS as the vendor they believe could meet expectations for supplemental substitute coverage; staff said ESS was one of three vendors considered and that ESS met the most expectations in earlier evaluations. No vendor contract action was recorded at the March 13 meeting.
Staff said they will continue to refine data collection (encouraging schools to mark jobs filled in Frontline) and will provide follow-up information to the board if additional analysis is available.
