- July 14, 2026
For at least the next three years, Volusia County Schools will be partnering with Kelly Education for the staffing of substitute teachers.
The Volusia County School Board approved a contract with Kelly Education last month for the recruitment, hiring and support of substitute teachers and substitute paraprofessionals across the district. The contract will be active through June 30, 2029, with one optional five-year renewal.
In a press release, Kelly Education stated that it will serve as the staffing partner for the district, and that the partnership "connects Volusia County residents with meaningful, flexible work in local classrooms while ensuring students have consistent, qualified educators throughout the school year."
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Volusia County Schools and the community they serve," said Tina Mosley, Kelly Education vice president of Florida Operations, in a press release. "Kelly Education manages the full process, from recruiting and hiring to training and scheduling, so district leaders can focus on what matters most — student achievement.”
VCS has a "deep respect and appreciation" for substitute teachers, said Dr. William Ryser, executive director of Human Resources for VCS.
"The two top priorities for this school district are the safety and security of our children, and our children's learning," Ryser said. "By ensuring a caring adult is with them every day, this initiative makes that more likely and at the same time, takes care of the people who are taking care of the children, which is very important to us."
The school district has an 86% fill rate. However, its fill rate for same-day vacancies is at 66%. Middle schools are also a high-need area, with a fill rate below 75%.
Ryser said that means that, regardless if it's a same-day vacancy or not, 1 in 4 middle school classrooms went without a dedicated substitute teacher every day.
"That has impacts in a lot of ways," Ryser said. "It has impacts on the student in terms of the loss of learning. We count on our guest teachers, our substitutes, to continue the teaching and learning when our regular staff are not there and they do an amazing job. We deeply value our substitute teachers, but the truth is, when they're not there, they can't continue the teaching and learning."
That often means a class without a substitute teacher is split up and sent to other classrooms.
Kelly Education presented the district with a fill rate of 95% across the state of Florida, Ryser said. In large districts, the company's fill rate is upward of 98%.
"We've looked at districts such as St. Johns County — another very high achieving A-rated district who just adopted Kelly last year and experienced over a 95% fill rate in their first year," Ryser said. "Those things are very, very encouraging for us."
Substitute teachers and paraprofessionals will continue to get paid the same rates as when they were managed by the district: $15 an hour.
ESE separate classroom and middle school teachers are paid $16 and retired VCS educators get $17.50 an hour.
Some of the differences are that Kelly Education will run payroll on a weekly basis and offer employee benefits, something the district has not been able to do, Ryser said.
The district expects this to be a cost-neutral initiative, he added, as Kelly Education will be used as-needed and will save the district operational expenses in managing substitutes.
"Truthfully, we'll have to evaluate it, which we will," Ryser said. "We've committed to taking a good hard look at this. We're not in a commitment that we're not entitled to relook at it and say, 'Is this working for us?' Because if it's not working for our students and our staff, we're not going to keep doing it."
Hiring events are as follows:
