Penn Manor School District Monday approved an agreement with Substitute Teacher Service to have STS provide 96 special-education classroom aides at district schools next year.
Penn Manor also shifted its substitute teachers from the district’s payroll to STS’s.
Last week, Eastern Lancaster County School District approved a similar agreement to outsource 89 food service workers and classroom aides through STS.
The moves by Elanco and Penn Manor are the first of their kind by county school districts.
Jay Godwin, STS president, said he’s not aware of any other county school districts currently considering a similar outsourcing arrangement, but he believes more will follow the lead of Elanco and Penn Manor.
“I believe these guys are ahead of their time, and this is the way things are going to go,” Godwin said.
Districts are under pressure to cut costs in the face of rising pension and health care costs and concerns about the financial impact of Obamacare, he said.
The outsourcing was prompted by mandates in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that will force public schools to provide health care coverage to all employees working more than 30 hours per week beginning Jan. 1.
The staff members at both districts currently work fewer than 35 hours per week and don’t receive coverage.
The mandate would have forced Penn Manor to add 30 aides to its health insurance plan at a cost of $9,800 per individual and $23,000 for a family, said Chris Johnston, the district’s business manager.