School Board expected to re-visit contract for substitute services

Amount paid to KESS was twice as much as reported to Board

The Clear Lake School Board is expected to revisit its decision to contract with Kelly Educational Staffing Services (KESS)  to handle substitute staffing for the school district in light of new information.  

At its July 28 meeting the Board voted 3-1 to continue to pay KESS to find substitute teachers and paraprofessionals for the district when needed.  At that meeting, Board Secretary Lorna Leerar and Superintendent Anita Micich told the Board the KESS service cost the district about $12,000.  However, district patron Jeff Klaudt reviewed the information after the meeting and shared very different numbers with Micich in the days following the meeting.  

Klaudt estimates the district spent in excess of $23,000 to KESS during its first year securing substitutes for the district.

“The statistics and information I heard from Kelly Service representatives and school personnel made little sense to me,” said Klaudt, who attended the July 28 meeting.  “The presentation was vague, incomplete and lacked much specific information. I didn’t feel Kelly Services came to the board meeting prepared.”

Micich said she has requested the power point presentation Kelly Services District Manager Lana Lafrenz unsuccessfully attempted to share with the Board at the July 28 meeting.  

She and Leerar have also reviewed and confirmed Klaudt’s assessment of district funds paid to Kelly Services and have determined he correctly identified the district paid Kelly Services $242,663 through July 2014, rather than the $201,360 reported to the Board.   

“Using my figures (taken from General Fund expenditure listing in the Mirror Reporter from August 2013-July 2014) and a statistics sheet given to me by a board member, I determined that there was a huge discrepancy in costs. I felt the board was mislead with inaccurate information,” said Klaudt.  

Klaudt said he provided his numbers to the superintendent July 29, but has not yet received a response with corrected information from the school district.

Micich and Leerar shared revised numbers with the Mirror-Reporter Monday, Aug. 4, and said it now appears the district spent approximately $20,000 to KESS for their service last school year.  Micich said she shared the new information with Board members and will wait to see if they feel the difference merits reconsideration of a contract with KESS.

Board member Chyrl Bergvig, who cast the lone no vote to the KESS contract renewal on July 28, said she has requested the item be placed on the next  - Read More Via e-Edition