Extant research on the relationship between job satisfaction and employee absenteeism in the private sector clearly shows that job satisfaction is not a major factor in absenteeism. To determine whether a similar pattern prevails in educational organizations, a study was conducted of 509 elementary teachers working in 36 schools from over 20 California school districts. Although the results of the study are consistent with the previous research, there is evidence to suggest that job satisfaction and absenteeism are more apt to be related, however tenuously, when teachers spend much of their work time with other teachers than when they interact with other teachers during only a moderate amount of their work time, or less. (Author/PGD)