The school board approved a temporary reallocation of funds from a currently budgeted teaching position to fund a part-time speech-language pathologist (SLP) for the 2025–26 school year.

What the district said: Staff explained the district has an unfilled teaching vacancy that is expected to remain open for the school year. Because Westside Elementary has experienced a large increase in speech-service needs, the district proposed converting the budget for a full-time teaching position into funds for a part-time (under 30 hours per week) SLP without benefits to reduce caseload pressure on existing SLPs.

Motion and vote: A board member moved to approve the reallocation of funds from a teaching position to fund a part-time speech-language pathologist for the 2025–26 school year. The motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The district said the move is intended as a one-year, interim adjustment; the position would revert to a teaching position in the following budget year unless staffing and enrollment data support a permanent change.

Clarifying details: Staff said the part-time SLP would be a contracted specialist providing limited weekly hours (under 30) and that the position would be reassessed in next year’s budget processes.