Administrative Procedure 4108 - Use of Temporary and Substitute Employees

I. Purpose

To outline procedures for approval to employ and assign temporary and substitute employees.

II. Policy

The appointment of competent and highly qualified personnel is essential to achieving excellence in equity in our learning and work environments, and workforce and operational excellence for the effective operation of Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS). (Board Policy 4112)

III. Background

In unusual situations and with the approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer and Chief Financial Officer, it may be necessary to hire an employee for a position not currently approved in the PGCPS position control system. These employees may be designated as temporary or substitute employees for the following reasons:

1. Employee absence,
2. Special projects, and
3. Seasonal or peak workload periods.

IV. Definitions

1. Position Review Committee - Composed of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and their designees, to review and make final determinations on position-related requests.
2. Substitute Employee – In accordance with any appropriate Negotiated Agreement, a substitute employee is compensated hourly or daily for performing duties in the absence of an employee who holds a position currently approved through the PGCPS position control system. Substitutes are typically only provided for positions in which the incumbent interacts directly with students.
3. Temporary Employee – A temporary employee is a non-benefits eligible employee hired for a specific project for a limited time period.

V. Procedures

1. Substitute Employees
   1. The following classroom-based positions are eligible for substitute employee  coverage:
      1. Elementary Classroom Teacher
      2. Secondary Classroom Teacher
      3. Paraprofessional Educator
      4. Resource Teacher
      5. ROTC Instructor
      6. Media Specialist
      7. Reading Specialist
   2. When an employee eligible for substitute employee coverage submits a leave request through Oracle Employee Self Service, an assignment is automatically generated in Frontline Absence Management for the appropriate substitute employee group to view and accept. In cases of a vacancy or extended absence, schools are responsible for manually creating assignments in Frontline Absence Management to ensure substitutes can access and accept available opportunities.
   3. All substitute assignments must be accepted through Frontline Absence Management.  Substitute teachers and substitute paraprofessionals may only serve in the role for which they were formally hired and are not permitted to work in any other capacity (e.g., school security, clerical support). Compensation is provided solely for the approved substitute classification.
   4. Time and attendance are recorded at the school level and submitted for processing by Payroll Services.
   5. Paraprofessional educators, school secretaries, itinerant special education assistants, in-school suspension monitors and student advocates will not be required to substitute for teachers except in emergency situations (i.e., unexpected and nonrecurring circumstances) and for a short duration.  Compensation will be provided in accordance with the provisions outlined in the ACE-AFSCME Negotiated Agreement.  This amount will be in addition to the employee’s regular pay and will begin on the first day that the individual provides substitute teacher coverage. This provision is only permitted for the positions outlined above and does not include any other position.
2. Temporary Employees
   1. Requests for a temporary employee must be completed on the Temporary Request Form (See Attachment). Forms must be submitted to the Compensation and Classification Office at least four (4) weeks prior to the proposed start date.  The request must be approved prior to the incumbent working in the temporary assignment.
   2. The expected start and end date of the assignment, the funding source, and a detailed description of the duties to be assigned are required. This request must be approved by the primary account manager and the appropriate Chief or Area Associate Superintendent prior to submission to the Compensation and Classification Office.
   3. The Compensation and Classification Office will determine the pay rate, and the Budget and Management Services Office will determine if funding is available.
   4. If the request is approved, the request will be forwarded to the appropriate Human Resources representative, who will make the final selection and extend the temporary assignment offer. The Human Resources representative is responsible for ensuring the assignment created in Oracle includes the end-date.
   5. Temporary assignments will be approved for the lesser of the duration permitted under the appropriate negotiated agreement, or one fiscal year. All temporary assignments will end on June 30 of each fiscal year. If there is a continued need for the temporary assignment, a new request must be made and is subject to the approval procedures outlined above.

VI. Related Administrative Procedures

Administrative Procedure 4132 - Timekeeping and Leave Reporting

VII. Monitoring and Compliance

1. The Account Manager will be responsible for monitoring the hours employees work and ensuring that employees work within the approved number of days/hours.
2. The Office of Human Resources Information Systems will terminate any active temporary assignments on June 30 of each fiscal year.

VIII. Maintenance and Update of This Administrative Procedure

This administrative procedure originates with the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer and will be updated as necessary.

IX. History

Adopted 09/01/2010
Amended 08/01/2013
Amended 08/02/2017
Amended 06/08/2026

X. Effective Date

June 8, 2026

Documents

Administrative Procedure 4108 - Use of Temporary and Substitute Employees.pdf

Attachment A:  Temporary Position Request Form