According to Utah State University’s Substitute Teaching Institute, about 10 percent of American classrooms need a substitute teacher on any given day. That’s more than a quarter of a million substitute teachers a day.
Needing up to 100 substitutes a day four and a half years ago, Carlos Hicks, superintendent of the Gulfport, Mississippi school district, asked a Kelly Services manager about providing substitute teachers. As a result of that query, Kelly Educational Staffing was formed and now provides substitute teachers to nearly 900 schools in 31 states.
By using Kelly, schools save time and resources by eliminating the need to recruit, screen, interview, train, and schedule substitute teachers. According to David Hall, assistant superintendent of Catoosa Public Schools in Oklahoma, his district’s motivation for selecting Kelly was threefold:
- Better-qualified substitutes, to better serve students;
- Reports of high-quality service from current clients; and
- Saving money on overall costs, including payroll processing and paperwork.
Kelly provides substitute teachers who meet local certification requirements for any teaching situation, including elementary, middle, and high schools, alternative schools, special education, physical education classes, and fine arts, in public or private schools. Substitutes are eligible for a variety of benefits and training, including participation in Kelly’s 401(k) plan.