utilization of part-time personnel in certified positions in the public schools of Florida

This study was designed to determine the current status of school district utilization of part-time certificated personnel in the public schools of Florida for the 1992-1993 school year. The study also examines if there is a difference between urban and rural school districts use of these employees and whether a significant difference exists in where part-time personnel are placed in a school setting. This study was also designed to determine if a significant difference is present in the perceptions of part-time employees and their supervisors as they relate to job commitment and work related communications. A number of research questions were also studied including: the total number of part-time employees in the state and how many districts utilize part-time workers, general demographics of the part-time employee, the advantages of such an employment option to both the employer and employee, and benefits offered to these employees. This study consisted of three questionnaires developed by the researcher. The first questionnaire was directed to the superintendent of each school district in the State of Florida. The second questionnaire was sent to part-time employees and the third questionnaire was directed to the supervisors of the part-time workers. General descriptive statistics were utilized to answer the research questions. In order to determine the relationship between urban and rural school district usage of part-time workers and the district placement of such workers t-tests were performed. T-tests were performed to determine if significant differences occurred between the perceptions of the part-time workers and their supervisors as they pertained to job commitment and communication issues. The findings indicated there was no significant difference in the utilization of part-time workers between urban and rural school districts in the State of Florida. Indications were that there was a significant difference in the utilization of part-time employees when staffing regular education and special education classes. There was no significant difference in the perception of the part-time worker and their supervisor concerning communication issues, but there was a significant difference in their perceptions concerning job commitment.