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The way in which school districts are finding substitutes is changing. Technological advances, the Affordable Care Act and low fill rates have all caused more and more school districts to outsource their substitute staffing needs.

Working with a private substitute staffing firm has many advantages for school districts. Rather than deal with the headaches of recruiting, hiring and managing substitutes, many school districts have decided to shift those responsibilities to a staffing firm, freeing them up to focus on their students.

If your district is on the fence about partnering with a substitute staffing firm, consider these benefits:

Improve the Quality of Subs

Some substitute staffing firms, like MHED, employ more rigorous requirements in order to join their pool of substitutes. Unlike most school districts, MHED and other substitute staffing firms conduct in-person interviews and additional background checks in order to ensure the candidate is highly-qualified. MHED also requires their subs to attend orientation to learn about the school districts they will be working in and continuing education courses so every sub is highly trained. Schools are able to unburden themselves of these tasks so they can focus on the day-to-day operations of their school.

Increase the Quantity of Available Subs

Schools should have two-and-a-half to three times the number of available subs as there are daily openings. The problem is, most districts don’t come close. To combat poor fill rates, many districts decide to work with substitute staffing firms. These firms typically provide a larger pool of available subs who are more willing to go to any school within your district. By increasing the quantity of your substitute teacher pool, you can achieve higher fill rates (for example, MHED averages 99.5% fill rates).

Substitute Staffing Firms Provide Health Benefits

The Affordable Care Act requires all employers whose employees work 30 or more hours a week to provide health insurance. Chances are, your district has subs that fall into this category. Providing health insurance for your subs not only creates more administrative work, it strains an already tight budget. By partnering with a substitute staffing firm like MHED, you can ease the financial burden of providing health insurance to your subs.

Reduce Administrative Duties

District staffs are already inundated with tremendous amounts of work. Partnering with a substitute staffing firm lightens the workload for your employees by outsourcing administrative tasks like payroll taxes, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, background checks, certification statuses and retirement benefits.

 

If you think your district could benefit from using a substitute teacher staffing firm, or you’d like to learn more about the benefits, contact MHED.