Board approves speech‑therapy contracts and behavior‑analyst coaching packages for kindergarten

Molly Barton, director of special education, told trustees that the district still faces a shortage of speech‑language pathologists and recommended contracts to preserve service levels for next school year.

Barton recommended contracting with Empowered Communication (two clinicians providing 20–40 combined hours weekly, billed at $100/hour) and Taylor Speech Therapy (up to 20 hours weekly at $100/hour, with additional hours billed at $150/hour when authorized). She said the district has used these vendors to cover unexpected leaves and gaps and recommended IDEA grant funds to pay for the services. Trustees approved the contracts in roll call votes.

Barton also presented a proposal to purchase 20 classroom coaching packages from Love Your Classroom to provide research‑based behavior supports. Each package provides a quarter of coaching (three hours per week) from a board‑certified behavior analyst (BCBA) to kindergarten classrooms and selected special‑education classrooms; the total cost for 2026–27 is $72,000, to be paid from Title funds.

Board members asked whether contractors would be evaluated, whether the vendor could recruit BCBAs and whether mileage reimbursements in the contract could create unexpected costs. Barton said district staff work closely with contracted providers, principals provide feedback, and the district will monitor outcomes; she recommended periodic reporting to the board on program effectiveness.

Trustees approved the BCBA coaching purchase and the speech‑services contracts. Several trustees asked administration to track outcomes and return with an update on effectiveness.