By Tom Blodgett
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Twitter: @sp_blodgett

Higley Unified School District overspent its open purchase order to pay for substitute teachers by the end of the third quarter, forcing the Governing Board to approve additional funds for the item. 

The board approved May 10 an additional $650,000 for the purchase order with Educational Services Inc., the vendor that handles scheduling and payment of substitutes, thus making available double what the district originally authorized with the passage of the budget last year. 

The additional money comes just two months after it authorized an additional $350,000 on the purchase order, which originally was set for $1 million last year. 

However, the district spent $574,519.82 on subs in the third quarter alone, bringing the total for the year to $1,358,200.87. That put the district more than $8,200 over the purchase order limit. 

Board member Kristina Reese said she was bothered by the request as even the original authorization had taken into account a need for the district to increase the amount available and give the district some cushion. She noted the March request was meant to keep the district from coming back for more. 

“We're not two months later, and we're here again,” she said. “And essentially we're almost doubling our original authorization. I am concerned that we went over budget in third quarter, and we're in this position that essentially we need to approve this because we're over.” 

Human Resources Executive Director Karen Johnson said the reasons for the increase include legislation that gives teachers leave time and that teachers are more attentive about staying out to take care of themselves when they feel sick. 

Board member Amanda Wade said it is possible the heavy number of “blackout dates” in the fourth quarter because of standardized testing may be a reason why teachers took time in the third quarter. Blackout dates are days teachers are not supposed to be able to take off. 

Reese said she realizes the need for substitutes does not go away. 

“I get it,” she said. “I know people go on long-term leave, maternity leave, medical leave. But we also can't operate in this fashion. We do need our employees to show up. Our kids are coming whether they are or not. And so I'm just asking that if we're having some repeated attendance issues that those are being addressed because that is costing the district.” 

The district also increased substitute pay last fall from $125 to $165 for daily pay and $145 to $185 per day for long-term subs and for hard-to-fill days. That was an effort to offer pay more competitive with other districts at a time when the fill rate on openings for substitutes was about 70%. 

Johnson said the fill rate is now about 90%-95% as a result of the increase. 

“So our students are benefiting from the subs from ESI and the cost that the district is paying,” she said. 

Tom Blodgett can be reached by email at tblodgett@iniusa.org or follow him @sp_blodgett on Twitter.  We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. 

Tom Blodgett
Gilbert News Editor | Gilbert
@sp_blodgett

tblodgett@iniusa.org

Raised in Arizona, Tom Blodgett has spent more than 35 years in journalism in Arizona and joined Independent Newsmedia in July 2022 to launch the Gilbert edition. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication from 2005-19 and remains editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet.