Philly to outsource substitute-teaching jobs

The Philadelphia School District is outsourcing management of its substitute-teaching services, effectively privatizing hundreds of jobs now held by unionized workers.

The move, school officials said, will save costs and, most importantly, improve a dismal "fill rate."

Last year, just 64 percent of sub jobs were filled every day, impacting the education of thousands of children, said Naomi Wyatt, the district's human-resources chief.

"The district has struggled to provide high-quality substitutes," Wyatt said.

A vendor will be able to draw a larger pool of substitutes and potentially offer incentives to lure candidates to work in schools that now struggle to attract per-diem workers, Wyatt said. The structure of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers contract, which now governs substitute pay, makes it impossible for the district to offer such incentives, she said.

Officials released a request for proposals Friday, seeking a vendor to manage the services beginning in September.

PFT officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

This is a developing story.