What Your Teacher Absence Management System Is Missing

The uncertainty of the gig economy, an ever-changing job market, and the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened teacher shortages nationwide, creating a greater demand for an innovative and reliable absence management system that meets the needs of administrative staff, teachers, and students.

Many teacher absence systems are unable to increase fill rates in districts with the highest sub deficits, which can negatively impact student learning. Not only are these systems sluggish and outdated, but they also lack the modern features required to attract qualified candidates.

Most teacher absence management systems: 

• Have slow, antiquated processes that don’t meet districts’ staffing needs 
• Are unable to offer live and responsive customer support
• Come equipped with unnecessary “bloatware” features that aren’t useful and may be difficult to grasp
• Aren’t intuitive and may take a long time to learn
• Can be difficult to update, change, or abandon later 
• Charge extra fees or unexpected price increases

Find the right teacher absence management system to fit your school district’s needs.

Administrators nationwide are eager to find innovative solutions to their substitute staffing shortages.

While the needs of each school district can vary, an effective teacher absence management system should include: 

• A simple way to manage substitutes through multi-sub scheduling and transparent substitute availability
• ID validation using profile pictures and information about each substitute
• The ability to update or change sub assignments quickly
• Accommodation of gig economy needs, which prioritize flexible part-time jobs that pay subs for their work
• Modern communication tools that allow real-time interaction through text messaging, app, or email
• Responsive, personalized customer service with minimal wait times and live chat options
• Customer support specialists who help with the onboarding process and provide any necessary additional training for updates or additional features
• Dedication to the professional development of substitute teachers through ongoing training in the areas of classroom issues, behavioral problems, and more
• Informative and clear details for substitutes on specific districts and classrooms, assignments, students, and building layouts

Fortunately, a solution like this exists! Red Rover’s teacher absence and substitute placement system is simple to implement and can be learned quickly. 

Sarah Swafford, substitute coordinator for Kalamazoo Public Schools in Michigan, shared how easily her team was able to get Red Rover’s software up and running. 

“Our teachers and staff quickly realized they could easily navigate the Red Rover site, without fear of ‘breaking it,’ And the how-to videos helped them use it right away. That makes my work so much easier,” she said.

Along with a free, user-friendly app, Red Rover releases new features each week based on feedback from customers. And unlike many other absence management platforms, Red Rover offers superior integration options and capabilities as the only stand-alone K-12 absence management solution.

Improve your district’s fill rates.

As the demand for qualified substitute teachers increases across the country, school districts shouldn’t have to settle for absence management systems that fail to meet their ever-changing needs. 

“We’re a small district. Many faculty and staff members wear multiple hats and often work at more than one of our school sites,” Laura Neal, human resources coordinator at the Manchester School District in Michigan, said. “We absolutely needed the flexibility to change schedules, split days, and in some cases, split accounts to accommodate the way we assign staff and place substitutes. Before Red Rover, our previous system made all of that so complex and time-consuming. It just wasn’t working for us.” 

Red Rover’s user-friendly system gives administrators the ability to attract and retain subs quickly using real-time alerts, scheduling tools, and a modern user interface. With the ability to roll out and integrate with a district’s existing software in two weeks or less, this technology provides easy-to-follow instructions using tools, instructional videos, and guides. 

“From day one, the Red Rover team has been responsive and supportive in transitioning our district to their platform,” Jen Barnard, human resource coordinator for Saline Area Schools in Michigan, said. “In the beginning, we spent time discussing the details of our employee position types, approval routes, locations, challenges, etc. Through these conversations, the Red Rover team was able to offer recommendations that would enhance functionality and appease all end users—administration, employee and substitute.”