Secret Inslee deal partly to blame for Kennewick substitute teacher dilemma | Editorial

The decision by Kennewick school to slash the number of hours substitute teachers work each month is an unfortunate step, and one that seems bound to eventually affect kids.

School districts need a sizable pool of excellent substitutes to fill in throughout the school year, keeping students on track while their regular classroom teachers are away.

Trouble is there almost always is a shortage of great substitute teachers. The best are in high demand.

With the Kennewick policy change, their substitute teachers no longer can make a living wage working a maximum of eight days a month. So, many are already applying to neighboring districts.

How this move affects the sub pool in Kennewick remains to be seen, but if we had to guess, we’d say it will be significantly reduced.

That’s bad for kids and bad for teachers — especially if they have to give up their planning time to help cover a class when substitutes can’t be found.

It could not have been an easy call, but Kennewick school officials decided to limit substitute teachers to avoid paying for their health insurance.

In the past, substitute teachers and part-time school employees were not eligible for medical benefits.

But the state changed that last spring, and now any school employee who works more than 630 hours a year must have the same health insurance benefits as those who work full-time. That averages out to 17.5 hours a week during a 180-day school year.

Providing health care coverage is a worthy goal, but not all school districts can afford it. Kennewick is now struggling with the unfunded mandate.

Sens. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, and Sharon Brown, R-Kennewick, met recently with the Tri-City Herald Editorial Board and acknowledged that several school districts across the state are facing budget problems this year.

Schoesler said health insurance for school employees was negotiated behind closed doors with Gov. Jay Inslee, and that no one expected the threshold to be set so low.

When the deal was finalized, lawmakers were allowed to vote only yes or no. No other action was allowed.

Schoelser said if the process had been out in the open, and properly vetted, he thinks the outcome would have been different. And Kennewick might not be cutting hours for substitutes.

The health benefits package for school employees appears to have caught many lawmakers and school officials off guard — and now districts like Kennewick are dealing with the fallout.

In August, Kennewick teachers went on strike over salaries. At the time, school administrators said the state did not provide enough money to meet teacher demands, while union representatives insisted the money was there.

School Superintendent Dave Bond, who retires this year, has previously told the Tri-City Herald that the state’s latest funding overhaul for schools has set up a system of inequity, putting Kennewick in a challenging position.

For instance, the Richland District received more state money — nearly $4,000 more per teacher — because it was deemed a community with a high cost of living.

Why Kennewick and Pasco weren’t included in that formula is a frustrating mystery.

Bond also has said Kennewick has a significant number of higher-paid veteran teachers compared to other nearby school districts — like Pasco — and that’s another factor in its budget struggle.

Kennewick school officials said they will monitor the new sub policy closely and adjust it if they see problems.

We understand the dilemma the state has put the school district in, and lawmakers should try to address that when they head to Olympia next year.

In the meantime, Kennewick school officials should be ready with a Plan B. Cutting substitute teacher hours seems truly problematic.

This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 12:00 AM.