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SAA Special Ed Substitute Teacher Bill Circulating
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | August 6, 2013
Representative Steve Kestell and Senator Luther Olsen, the respective Assembly and Senate Education Committee chairs, are circulating for co-sponsorship legislation that explicitly authorizes a school district, county, and CESA to contract for substitute teaching and paraprofessional staffing services and makes the costs of such a contract eligible for special education aid. Representative Kestell and Senator Olsen are forwarding this legislation at the request of the SAA. We are very grateful for the education committee chairs’ support. A brief explanation of the bill appears below.
Historically, coordinating the placement of substitute teachers for any given school day has been a time-consuming, labor-intensive process for public school districts. In recent years, increasing numbers of school districts have turned to contracting for substitute teachers with private service firms.
These firms have evolved to handle all aspects of district substitute staffing needs including recruitment, background checks, substitute placement on a daily basis, and processing substitute payroll and benefits. Many districts find these firms to be efficient, cost-effective staffing solutions that free up district staff for other more pressing administrative duties.
However, there is a problem as it relates to special education substitute teachers and paraprofessionals. Currently a school district will not receive state special education aid for the costs of contracting with a substitute staffing service.
Under current law if school district personnel coordinate the placement of special education substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, the district will receive state special education aid for those substitute staffing costs. But, if the district contracts with a substitute staffing service for the placement, they will not receive state special education aid for those costs.
Therefore, school districts that utilize cost-effective substitute staffing services are being penalized under current law for using those services for their special education substitute staffing needs. This bill solves this problem by explicitly authorizing a school district to contract with substitute teaching staffing services and makes the costs of such a contract eligible for special education aid.
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