Should a public school employee be coerced into paying a private company in order to work?

[LibDemAlways]

I am a substitute teacher in California. The district where I work recently installed a computerized substitute finding service. Subs are supposed to go online to look and sign up for for available jobs. All well and good. However, the extortionists at the job finding service and the clueless administrators at the district urge the subs, who are paid a non-princely $110.00/day with no benefits, to pay $40.00 per school year to receive notifications when jobs become available. Those who refuse to pay are basically shut out unless they happen to log-in just as a new job is posted. Then they can hope to grab it before someone else does. Available jobs last only seconds, so those willing to buy into the pay to be notified scheme have a huge advantage over those who refuse. I've written to legislators in Sacramento about this and am waiting for some feedback. In the meantime, I'm interested in the thoughts of DUers. Thanks.

[brewens]

1. Your argument against that would seem to be just what they raise hell about over union dues.

Sounds like another privatization screwjob. Making the subs pay for that is bullshit.

[Trillo]

2. No employee should be required to have any employment expenses

Last edited Tue Oct 7, 2014, 11:27 AM - Edit history (1)

that are not fully deductible.

[Beakybird]

3. Pay the $40

As injustices go in the world, this is a very tiny one, IMO. The $110 a day is a larger injustice.

However, if this rankles you, I would complain - after paying the $40. You need to work. At least you don't have to buy a uniform.

Good luck.

[LibDemAlways]

16. We had to fight for the $110.00. The pay

the last seven years was $106.00 and they made a big deal out of the measly $4.00 raise.

[unblock]

4. that sucks. though, if they're of a mind to save money on your back, there are other ways to do it.

most obviously, they could just pay you $105/day (or whatever) instead of $110/day, and give all the substitute teachers free notifications of new job listings.

that might be a tad better, because at least it wouldn't discriminate against the substitute teachers most in need of some extra bucks (and therefore least able to afford a "voluntary" fee).

until we get a culture of those in a position to make real decisions not always looking to screw anyone they can take advantage of, we're doomed to and endless stream of such mistreatment.

[madville]

5. How many workdays a year?

Just curious, if you work 100 days a year then that's only $0.40 a day averaged out.

Would the service get you more workdays and better quality assignments?

Look at it from a positive standpoint, it could be an opportunity. It sounds like a good deal if it gives you an advantage over your competition. If it lands you one extra day it has more than paid for itself.

[LibDemAlways]

11. I am lucky to work 60 full days a year.

Many assignments are half days for half pay. Some months I work 8-10 days. Others 1-2. It depends on the need. I just don't believe that any public employee should have to pay a private company in order to collect a paycheck. Just seems very wrong.

[badtoworse]

6. How did you find jobs before the job finding service was implemented?

[LibDemAlways]

12. The district employed a human being who called

substitutes based on preferred grade level and areas of expertise and placed them accordingly. Now they are paying for the automated system and have created a free for all where subs just grab whatever they can.

[badtoworse]

17. Interesting. Sounds like it had the potential to be a club

Was it fair to every sub or did the human being have a list of go to favorites making it difficult for someone new to break in?

[LibDemAlways]

24. I've subbed for 7 years. Had about the

same amount of work every year. Never detected any favoritism. I think the woman who placed the subs genuinely tried to parcel out the jobs fairly and was mindful of what each sub's strengths are.

[badtoworse]

27. I'm glad your experience was positive. Everyone should operate with those ethics

[upaloopa]

7. Seems to me to be a way to cull the herd.

Like any job these days there are more people looking than there are jobs. Putting more hurdles in the way cuts down the number of applicants. It isn't a good thing but I don't think anyone will care about your complaint.

[KamaAina]

8. What a racket.

One wonders if the district is getting kickbacks from the service.

[LibDemAlways]

15. More than likely. In an ideal world, the money the district is paying to get this service,

(probably offset somewhat by kickbacks), should be allocated to the underpaid subs instead.

[KamaAina]

9. This does not seem to be a very good way to find teachers

The one who has the fastest mouse click may not be -- probably isn't -- the best teacher for the position. If I were developing a substitute teacher-finding app, I'd have all the available teachers' profiles in a database and notify the ones whose profiles best fit the particular position.

[LibDemAlways]

13. You make a very valid point. The jobs I've managed to

get this year are not at all a good fit. I prefer middle school and have instead been an aide to a special needs Kindergarten student whose diaper I had to change, and I've also been assigned to several 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades. I have to take whatever I can get, not necessarily what I'm good at.

[KamaAina]

19. You prefer middle school?!

Srsly, they should be all over you like a duck on a June bug whenever a middle school position pops up.

[liberal_at_heart]

20. As the parent of a special needs child, thank you, thank you, thank you.

I cannot say that enough. What I don't understand about middle school is why the resources just drop out from underneath the students after they leave elementary school. Most elementary schools are really able to help special needs children because they have the resources. I was very happy with the education my son received in elementary school. But once he hit middle school it was like all the resources were gone, non existent. He was basically made to fend for himself. If you are willing to wade through that mess and help our special needs children void of the necessary resources I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

[RobinA]

21. Apparently

the child is supposed to be remediated by middle school. I ran into what you are talking about when I worked for CYS and I had a kid in foster care who couldn't read. I went to the IEP meeting and said the kid can't read, where is her reading instruction? We don't have reading after 8th grade, they said (sheepishly, to their credit). I said, the kid can't read how do we get her a reading instruction? We don't have reading after 8th grade, they said. Somewhere that kid is now an illiterate adult.

[liberal_at_heart]

22. I'm sorry to hear about what happened to that foster child. It's like they just expect kids to keep

up or else. Keep up or get left behind. Even the name of our national education policy implies that. Race to the Top. The very name implies that if you can't keep up it's just your tough luck. You get left behind.

[DebJ]

10. I'm guessing you are talking about the Aesop website and Jobulator.

My husband works for a substitute teacher service here in Pa.

We've ignored Aesop's ads for Jobulator and just check the boards.

The disadvantage for most subs here:
You are forbidden from checking the board during the work day (unless on lunch, or not with students).

The advantage my husband has:
I used to sub through the same service, but don't work outside the home anymore.
So I check the boards for him throughout the day.

Other advantage: despite the massive layoffs of teachers here, there still seems to be plenty of substitute jobs available.
That's because the major school district using Aesop in this area has nightmarish discipline / no discipline, and substitutes
are treated like a disposable item.

But then again, that's how they treat their teachers, too.... they are working hard to run them all out of the district.

Gov Corbett's representative is down here pushing for charter schools, all charters, by next year.

[LibDemAlways]

14. Yes, it's AESOP and Jobulator. I check the boards every few

minutes when I'm home. Rarely anything available and what is tends to be the undesirable assignments - half days and speciall ed aide - that fewer subs will do. It sucks.

[DebJ]

23. Half days are ridiculous, especially if you have a ways to travel. n/t

[liberal_at_heart]

18. further privatization of a public institution. I am so sorry.

I have a child in K-12 and one in college. I am absolutely heartbroken over what both parties are doing to public education.

[Blue_Tires]

25. You're getting screwed hard

When I was a sub, the job-finding service was in-house and free (at least it was 7-8 years ago...)

[elleng]

26. No, they shouldn't be.

[gopiscrap]

28. Fucking bullshit

once again another attempt to privatize education so some rich fuckers can get richer!