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Board committees recommend EC retention bonuses and monthly supplements amid federal budget uncertainty
Summary
The board’s Finance and Education committees reported plans to use remaining PRC 118 funds for a one-time retention bonus and to offer a monthly supplement for certain Exceptional Children (EC) staff, while district officials said federal budget freezes will require using carryover funds for some payroll needs.
District committee reports at the July 21 meeting outlined staffing measures aimed at retaining special education staff and noted pressures from a federal budget freeze that could affect some federal programs.
District officials told the Finance and Personnel Committee and the Education Programs and Policy Committee that leftover PRC 118 funds will be used to provide a one-time retention bonus of $525 in September 2025 to EC-related service providers in occupational therapy, physical therapy, school psychology and speech-language pathology. Committee members also discussed a recruitment and retention plan to pay a $500-per-month supplement to EC teachers and program facilitators who hold a master’s degree in special education or education, or who have a master’s and have completed a graduate-level special education teacher licensure program; staff said the supplement will be renewed annually depending on availability of EC and Medicaid funds.
Committee discussion and staff remarks clarified timing and funding limits: the one-time $525 bonus uses PRC 118 money that staff said expires in December 2025; the $500 monthly supplement is contingent on ongoing EC and Medicaid funding and is not a guaranteed multi-year commitment absent future appropriations.
Separately, the Finance and Personnel Committee reported on state and federal budget uncertainty. Rob McDaniel, the district’s finance official, told the committee that while proposed state allotments had been provided, a final state budget was not yet approved; staff also said federal budget freezes mean the district will use carryover funds for salaries for affected federal programs and that the largest federal allocations (EC and Title I) had not been significantly impacted to date, but several other federal budgets had been affected.
What the board decided: these EC retention measures and supplements were discussed and recommended at committee and were scheduled to come to the full board for action as part of committee recommendations and purchase/contract approvals. The committees unanimously supported the proposed EC measures at the committee level.
Ending: District leaders said they would present the recommended EC supplements and related contracts and purchase orders to the full board for approval (as appropriate) and will monitor federal budget developments and the availability of EC and Medicaid funds before committing to renewals of the supplements.
