SFPS Board Meeting for October 15, 2026

Santa Fe Public Schools Board meeting, October 15, 2026: The board held a study-session discussion on substitute staffing and educator vacancies, including a presentation from its substitute-staffing partner, ESS West. ESS reported that placements had risen 26% year over year at the start of the current school year and explained that its invoices increase with placements; its current bill-rate multiplier was described as 1.314. Materials compared ESS costs with estimated in-house staffing costs under different vacancy-volume scenarios, using an approximately $3 million district budget as a reference point. District staff reported 73 teacher vacancies at the start of the school year and 55 as of early October, and described recruiting and retention initiatives. The district also reported contracting with an agency to recruit bilingual teachers from Chile, at approximately $3,800 per teacher, helping fill six positions.

No procurement vote or contract award was taken. The superintendent recommended maintaining the ESS partnership for the 2027–28 school year while the district addresses staffing systems and vacancies, with a decision on renewal or bringing the work in-house expected by April; board members requested regular ESS data updates and expressed hope that future costs would decline. The discussion also covered possible future investments and initiatives, including educator incentives, training pathways, wellness supports, and a separate ongoing RFP for districtwide scenarios, but no associated award or spending authorization was presented.