BRENHAM SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES SUBSTITUTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, INCREASED PAY GRADES FOR MANUAL TRADES

  

Brenham ISD is entering into an agreement for a substitute teacher management system.

The Brenham School Board on Monday approved an agreement with ESS to handle the recruiting, payroll and liability for the district’s substitutes.

ESS Vice President of Business Development Fred Bentsen said the organization works to ensure school districts have enough substitutes to fill classrooms.

 

According to data presented by Bentsen, Brenham ISD’s substitute fill rate so far this school year is 60.7 percent, with 979 substitutes requested and 594 filled.  In comparison, the fill rate for the 2020-21 school year was 73.4 percent (5,617 substitutes requested, 4,122 filled), while the fill rate for the 2018-19 school year was 86.4 percent (6,423 substitutes requested, 5,547 filled).

Bentsen said ESS offers substitutes weekly pay, in comparison to the monthly pay they receive from the district.  In addition, he said substitutes receive benefits, incentives and training, and their pay goes into Social Security rather than retirement.  He noted that ESS will employ the same hiring standards used by the district, emphasizing that Brenham ISD will retain local control of standards, background check requirements, training and pay.

As part of the agreement, an on-site account manager will recruit substitutes and build relationships with school leaders.  Bentsen said the manager would ideally be in the district’s central office, and the district will be invited to be part of the selection process for the employee.

The cost of the agreement for the district is the substitute cost plus 6 percent, which covers all deductibles.

Also on Monday, the school board approved a pay increase for the district's manual trades employees in an effort to recruit and retain staff in the child nutrition and maintenance departments.  Starting minimum pay will increase from $10.21 an hour to $12 an hour.

Business and Finance Director Kim Weatherby said Brenham ISD has struggled to attract employees with its current pay, and needs to become more competitive.

 

In addition to the bump in starting pay, Weatherby said the increase will reflect on existing employees based on years of service.  She plans for this increase to serve as a “good starting place,” adding that salaries are typically reviewed more extensively in the spring.