ATLANTA — A new school year in Henry County will bring a new approach to finding substitute teachers.
Looking to increase its pool of subs, Henry County is offering weekly pay and benefits that are typically reserved for full-time teachers.
Chief Human Resources Officer Dr. Carl Knowlton says Henry County’s pool of substitutes hasn’t always met demand.
“When we can’t fill our day to day vacancies, our other teachers and staff members have to take on those duties,” said Knowlton. “We want to decrease those instances.”
Jocelyne Williams retired from the Atlanta Public Schools system after 33 years. She’s now a part of Henry County’s pool of substitutes.
“I had the experience, but you’re walking into a brand new area,” said Williams. “The children still need to have a qualified educator and I wanted to be a part.”
The county is now working with Educational Staffing and Management Solutions, a staffing agency that is helping recruit substitutes with incentives. Basic pay will stay at $110 to $145 per day but substitutes will now get a check every week instead of once a month.
There’s the opportunity for substitutes to get health insurance that includes dental and vision.
“Also, they offer a 401K and other supplemental insurance that may include life insurance and accident insurance,” said Dr. Knowlton.
Last school year, Henry County relied on a pool of about 600 substitutes. With the added incentives another 331 have applied to be subs. Ideally, the county would like to have a pool of 1,200.
“They’re doing everything they can to make a substitute teacher feel welcome,” said Williams.
Anyone interested in applying for a position as a substitute with Henry County Schools can go to this link: https://schoolwires.henry.k12.ga.us/page/235