Board debates substitute-incentive pay; asks for data and tables decision to next month

District administration and the board discussed substitute staffing challenges and an ESS proposal that would add incentive pay (examples shown: $75 after five days and an additional $100 at 10 days) to encourage higher participation among substitutes. Administration said the incentive is intended to increase fill rates and that ESS has seen success in other districts; one board member urged a trial period and requested data showing how a prior rate increase affected fill rates: "If the incentive is new, give it a trial period to see if that moves," a board member said.

Board members raised concerns about whether incentive pay would attract substitutes for short-notice calls, whether personalized outreach (returning to local calling) might be more effective, and how much the district currently spends on substitute coverage. Administration said prior rate increases delivered a modest rise in overall fill rates and committed to returning with semester-level analytics on which sub categories (long-term vs. day-to-day) would be affected. After discussion the board voted to table the decision and revisit the issue next month as old business.