Board approves special-education contracts as members warn HOPE Scholarship and funding shortfalls threaten services

The Cabell County Board of Education on July 15 approved a package of contracts to provide special-education and related services while board members and at least one public commenter warned that state policy changes and declining enrollment are eroding local funding.

The contracts approved include agreements with Mountain State Educational Services Consortium (Mountain State ESC) for academic affairs and for a nursing coordinator that supports the district's Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program; contracts for Medicaid billing handled through Mountain State ESC; agreements for occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT); homebound speech services; applied behavior analysis and functional behavior assessments; job coaches and transition services; and the Everway LLC curriculum for students working on alternate standards.

The board received detailed descriptions of the services. Kelly Watkins, director of instruction and leadership for Cabell County Schools, summarized the Mountain State work and several contracts, saying the district uses contracted staff and consortium arrangements to run events such as regional math field day and to provide services that district staff cannot cover…