Need a Sub? 'Temp' Agency Ready To Serve

By Robert C. Johnston

Frustrated over how much work it took to find substitute teachers, the superintendent of schools in Gulfport, Miss., asked the local manager of a temporary-staffing agency if she had ever considered getting into the business of supplying them. She had not, but she soon saw the potential.

Two and a half years later, Kelly Services has contracts to provide substitute teachers to 12 school districts in Mississippi and Louisiana. And last week, the Troy, Mich.-based company announced that it would begin offering the same service nationwide through its 1,200 local offices.

While other temporary-staffing agencies also provide substitute teachers, Kelly is the first to do so on a national scale,...