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Board rejects proposal to add full‑time BCBA position after debate over scope and cost
Summary
A motion to create a full‑time Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) position for districtwide behavioral supports failed 1‑7 after trustees raised questions about duties, salary and overlap with existing services.
The Bethel Park School Board voted down a proposal to create a full‑time Board Certified Behavior Analyst position meant to expand behavioral supports for students with significant needs.
The motion, moved by Mrs. Faiz and seconded by Mrs. Headley, failed by a 1‑7 vote. "Motion does not pass. 1 yay, 7 nays," the board secretary announced after the roll call.
The proposal would have created a full‑year, three‑year contract BCBA position to provide functional behavioral assessments, intervention plans, staff training, crisis‑management oversight and coaching for autism‑support programs; the district had been contracting for a small number of hours per week and presenters said the demand has grown as the special‑education population increased.
Dr. Hsu, a district staff member who explained the job description to the board, said the BCBA would lead tier‑3 behavioral interventions, provide annual training, assist with paraprofessional use in classrooms and support ESY (extended school year) services. "We have run a contract... for four hours each week. Again, with the growing population, four hours does not go very far," Hsu said, describing limits of the current contract model.
Nut graf: Trustees questioned the proposed scope, salary banding and whether the position combined clinical BCBA duties with administrative responsibilities; one teacher present said the proposal read as broader than a typical BCBA role.
Board members and attendees pressed on staffing ratios and comparisons to neighboring districts. The district reported a Dec. 1 special‑education count of 783 students, about 19.5 percent of the student body. Board members noted administrators already manage many special programs and asked whether the job blended clinical and administrative duties.
A life‑skills teacher who spoke during discussion said she had not had a BCBA perform the full range of tasks described and questioned the salary and scope. Board member discussion also noted many neighboring districts have added BCBAs in recent years, while others keep them as contracted services.
Ending: The board did not create the BCBA position at this meeting; presenters said the district will continue current contracted services and may return with revised proposals or alternative staffing plans at a future meeting.
