Bonuses to be offered for substitute teachers, nurses for working in Philly schools amid shortage

Bigger paychecks are coming for Philadelphia School District substitute teachers, school nurses, food service workers, and other fill-in employees.

Kelly Educational Services, which provides substitutes for Philadelphia and several other districts across the region, is bumping up pay rates in response to shortages of teachers, nurses, food service workers, and other staff hitting schools hard. ½

Substitute teachers, librarians and counselors will receive a $50 daily bonus; fill-in nurses will receive $100 additional for every day worked; and secretaries, teacher assistants, climate staff, and food and support service assistants will get paid an additional $20.

The bonuses are effective immediately, and will last through April, the company said.

The hourly rate for substitute food service assistants is also being bumped up to $14 from $9.50; fill-in climate staff wages are jumping to $14 from $11, and the hourly wage for substitute secretaries, teacher assistants, and support service assistants is rising to $15 from $11.

With the bonuses, uncertified teachers will now make $176.76 daily; certified teachers and counselors, $210.06; retired certified teachers and counselors, $274.06; long-term substitutes, librarians and counselors will be paid $250; retired teachers, librarians, and counselors who take on long-term positions will make $279.92; and speech and hearing therapists, $279.92.

Substitute nurses, who are paid hourly, will earn the $100 bonus on top of their $40 hourly rate; retired nurses make $45 hourly.

“Substitutes and support staff play a critical role in our education system,” Brad Beckner, Kelly education vice president for the Northeast region, said in a statement. “Kelly and the School District of Philadelphia offer job seekers in search of flexible and meaningful work the opportunity to enrich the lives of students and move pre-K through 12 education forward.”

In early October, Kelly Services had a 41% fill rate for Philadelphia — meaning most district vacancies were going unstaffed. A spokesperson said Tuesday that updated fill rates will be released in November.

Nationally, Kelly is filling about 70% of its open school jobs this year, down from a rate that’s typically a percentage in the high 80s or low 90s.

Interested candidates can apply here.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the city’s push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.