R-III district selects new provider for substitute staffing

By: Derrick Forsythe, Correspondent
Posted 4/19/21

As the contract with its current substitute staffing provider is about to expire, the Warren County R-III School District is pursuing the opportunity to save a considerable amount of money. 

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R-III district selects new provider for substitute staffing

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As the contract with its current substitute staffing provider is about to expire, the Warren County R-III School District is pursuing the opportunity to save a considerable amount of money. 

The district has been using Penmac as its source for substitute teachers and staff for the past three years. With the terms of that partnership concluding at the end of the 2020-21 school year, the board of education recently sought bids from staffing services for a new contract.  During its monthly meeting on April 8, the board voted 7-0 to contract EDUstaff as the district’s new staffing provider.

“We talked with and vetted them, and we feel like we’ll be provided a quality service and save the district some money, so that’s kind of how we landed on them,” said Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith.

Previously, the district was paying 31 percent toward the cost of a substitute to Penmac. With EDUstaff only charging 27 percent of the total cost, it’s estimated R-III could save around $25,000 per year. The contract with EDUstaff is for a three-year term.

The outsourcing of its substitute services saves the district from spending time on a multitude of related tasks, allowing it to focus on instruction, officials said. EDUstaff provides marketing, recruiting, screening and hiring, along with ongoing training and professional development. The use of a contracted service also eliminates the potential insurance cost for the school district. 

“Every time we contract out, we always look at every penny and ask is there a way we could do this in-house,” said Klinginsmith. “We are required to pay health insurance for anybody who works over 30 hours.”

Individuals who have been substituting at R-III with Penmac will have to go through the hiring process with EDUstaff if they wish to continue in the district. Klinginsmith said those who wish to continue with Penmac in neighboring districts, such as Wright City R-II, while also working for EDUstaff, would have the option to do so. 

Klinginsmith said finding an adequate number of substitutes for the district has long been a challenge, and he continues to encourage community members to help fill those roles.

“Recruitment of subs is always a hard thing to do, so when you have these outside companies, they have bigger marketing budgets and the ability to coordinate that,” said Klinginsmith. “When that’s their sole focus, they do a better job with it. We end up with much better fill rates as well.”

He said the district’s relationship with Penmac was a positive experience, but ultimately the district had to look at the bottom dollar and align the decision with its focus on restoring the budget.

“It’s been very positive,” said Klinginsmith. “We have nothing negative to say about Penmac at all. They’ve really been a good service. It’s just a business decision here, that this is a lower bid, so we’re taking the better deal.”

Warren County School District

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