Columbia Public Schools (CPS) switched substitute teacher providers from Kelly Services to Edustaff this year. The change brought a substitute shortage as CPS spokesperson Michelle Baumstark said Edustaff only retained 75 percent of hirees from the previous company Kelly Services. Insufficient substitute applications also contributed to the deficit.
The company swap came after CPS’ contract with Kelly Services ended following their two-year term; Baumstark said Edustaff presented a higher bid.
“I think what affected [CPS] the most was that when we moved to a new sub-company; everybody that had been a part of the old sub-company had to switch over… [and] had to apply for this new company,” Jacob Sirna, RBHS principal, said. “My understanding is that the actual application [for Edustaff] was a little lengthier than Kelly services. There were some things that prevented people from conveniently just signing up.”
The number of substitutes needed in the building changes day to day, which affects the number of necessary substitutes, often putting RBHS at a disadvantage.
“We have employed here 170 people, so teachers can [miss days] for professional development or for illnesses or for a personal matter; there’s a decent amount of people every day that aren’t here,” Sirna said. “So we have to fit that number.”
Sirna said he thinks as the school year progresses and substitutes begin to shift from Kelly services to Edustaff, the shortage will resolve itself. For now, Baumstark said there is still a 25 percent vacancy, and some teacher excused absences are prioritized above others to ensure all classrooms have a teacher at all times.
“So looking at when we have professional development, is that something that needs to absolutely happen at that point in time?” Baumstark said. “It is more important that we continue to prioritize regular absences [like personal days].”
Substitute Deborah Holly moved from Kelly Services after learning about the change. Edustaff’s application requires substitute teachers to have 60 or more college credit hours, on top of being certified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
“[Edustaff’s application had] tutoring things. They asked questions and to make sure that you have certain background information,” Holly said. “I don’t remember how long it took, [but it] probably took it took me two days to do”.
Holly is not the only one who found the Edustaff process more difficult than the Kelly Services application. Meredith Cockrell, an elementary-school substitute said that the process is a lengthy experience.
“It took over two hours to get through the process, having to take different tests and watch certain training modules,” Meredith said. “It was not very user-friendly, and as someone who has subbed for about 9 years, I almost wanted to give up.”
French teacher Kristin Reed said Edustaff did a poor job recruiting. When Reed requested three sick days earlier this year, she received a fill-in sub for one day.
“I don’t actually know that I will have a temporary substitute until the day of,” Reed said. “It makes it difficult to create sub plans.”
The lack of substitutes raised awareness in the student population, as well. Junior Logan Cockrell said there is a lower quality experience in the classroom.
“I have seen more teachers or faculty subbing for classes recently. Sometimes the teacher knows in advance that they will be gone and [the class] is still covered by another teacher,” Logan says. “It’s hard for [fill-in] substitutes to [keep] our class under control. Temporary substitutes don’t seem to put as much effort in as regular substitutes.
While a substitute may mean a free day for students, it can cause problems among other teachers, as they have to step in as a temporary substitute for the block. Logan experienced multiple temporary subs for his strength training class.
“It’s hard for temporary substitutes to our class under control,” Logan said. “Temporary substitutes don’t seem to put as much effort in as regular substitutes. I had [Mr. Clapp] as my temporary sub for my strength training class multiple times”
The problem has been especially prominent at RBHS, secretary Denise McGonigle said Edustaff will be able to resolve it within our district.
“I think that they are trying to hire new substitutes. Kelly Services is still in service, so they still employ sub in the surrounding districts [Mexico, Ashland, etc],” McGonigle said. “Edustaff has done their best to reach out to Rock Bridge to tell substitutes to switch to the new company, so we’ll just have to wait.”
Edustaff was only able to retain 75 percent of the total substitutes from Kelly services, Baumstark estimates the only way to fix the problem is with time, as Edustaff will be able to recruit more substitutes as the year goes on.
“We are continuing to [transition to Edustaff],” Baumstark said. “As you transition with any new anything doesn’t matter what it is, there’s going to be a period of time where you have to transition, it does take time for that transition process to take place [and deficit to fix itself].”
Have you experienced the effects of the change in your classrooms? Let us know in the comments below.
