Cumberland County Schools will partner with a contractor to oversee the district’s substitute teacher program starting July 1, the district announced Wednesday.

At its regular meeting Tuesday night, the county Board of Education approved partnering with ESS, an education staffing firm.

According to its website, ESS recruits, hires, trains, places and manages qualified substitute teachers, paraprofessionals, and other support staff for school districts throughout the U.S.

ESS will manage Cumberland County Schools’ daily and long-term substitute teachers and substitute teacher assistants, the district news release said.

“The ESS team is beyond excited to provide Cumberland County Schools a substitute program rich with resources and support for every student, substitute, and school,” Steve Gritzuk, chief operating officer for ESS, said in the release.

In North Carolina, ESS oversees substitute-teacher programs for Winston-Salem and Forsyth and Union county schools, Ruben Reyes, the district’s associate superintendent for Human Resources, said at a May 30 Cumberland County Board of Education personnel committee meeting.

Reyes estimated that Cumberland County Schools currently pays about $6.16 million annually to manage the substitute teacher program and using ESS would cost the district about $700,000 more.

The change allows substitutes to be paid quicker and frees up district resources. ESS will handle payroll, background checks, staffing and other responsibilities previously handled by the district, Reyes said.

He said the contract is for one year.

Reason for the change

The news release stated that on average Cumberland County Schools get about 300 requests for substitute teachers each day and that the district’s substitute fill rate of 92% before the COVID-19 pandemic has dropped to 68.2%.

Reyes said the decline in available substitute teachers is a statewide and national issue, which can be attributed to the substitutes working other jobs; not qualifying for benefits; and the 45 days it takes for the substitutes to get paid.

With ESS, he said, substitutes would have the option to get paid each Friday and can opt-in for health, vision, dental and life insurance along with 401K contributions.

What happens to current substitutes?

Reyes said all substitute teachers currently working for Cumberland County Schools can be hired by ESS. He said the schools will be able to develop their list of preferred substitutes, and the electronic method teachers use to request a substitute will be the same.

Reyes said the company provides five hours of training for all new substitutes and also has a local team of five employees to support principals, ensure schools are staffed and provide progress reports to district officials.

People interested in joining ESS, including those currently serving as substitutes and those looking to serve for the first time, may apply online at ESS.com.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Why Cumberland County Schools is contracting substitute program to ESS