Substitute teaching company in Michigan abruptly shuts down

(WJBK) - A company that provides substitute teachers to districts in Michigan unexpectedly and suddenly closed down, sending hundreds of teachers and other education professionals scrambling. 

We're told Professional Educational Services Group (PESG) provided substitute teachers, bus drivers and secretaries. Those who work for the company appear to have gotten an email Monday afternoon informing them of the closure.

One woman who worked for the company sent us the email. The email stated her employment - and the employment of all Professional Educational Services Group employees in Michigan - was terminated on October 22, 2018.

The email stated PESG notified the districts at the same time, and that 110-120 districts will be affected by the shut down. PESG said they had 1,500 to 2,000 substitute teachers throughout the state this week, and as many as 15,000 registered in 2018. 

Dearborn Public Schools says they learned of the closure late Monday afternoon, too. They were informing parents overnight there may be delays in getting subs to the building Tuesday morning, but assured they have a plan in place.

"Overall, it's going to be business as usual. All of our regular teachers are here, all the principals have emergency plans in place. You can pull staff from other parts in the building and get them in place. So, really, the only thing parents may notice is that there may be some classrooms in the district that may not have the sub there right when class starts," district spokesman David Mustonen told us. 

Dearborn Public Schools says they'ved worked with PESG for at least 10 years. 

The PESG email sent to employees suggests money was a reason for the closure, though FOX 2 hasn't been able to get in contact with PESG yet for an explanation. 

"We have been actively seeking capital to keep operations going and have been in good faith negotiations with a competitor to sell the business in a manner that would have prevented your terminations and allowed Professional Educational Services Group to continue operations. The urgency of the shutdown was exacerbated, however, when those negotiations broke down over the weekend due to unforeseen developments outside of our control. Without operating funds to stay open, therefore, the company is now forced to close immediately. Under the circumstances, we believed our only serious option was to notify you as soon as possible," the email read.

This is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for updates.