Board renews contracts for speech‑language pathology and school psychology services, staff to pursue university partnerships

Summary

The board approved one‑year renewals (with one optional additional year) for contracts issued under RFP 24‑18 to eight agencies providing speech‑language pathology and school psychology services; board members urged district staff to pursue partnerships with Georgia Southern to expand long‑term staffing pipelines.

The board approved renewal of annual contracts under RFP 24‑18 for speech‑language pathology and school psychology services to eight firms for an additional one‑year period, with one optional additional one‑year renewal remaining.

Staff said the renewals will continue vendor‑provided services that supplement district staff, some delivered virtually and some in person, on an as‑needed basis for students with identified services. The transcript records an estimated cost figure that appears garbled in the audio; staff’s presentation noted an estimated total cost but the exact figure was not clearly stated in the meeting transcript.

Board members discussed the district’s ongoing difficulty recruiting and retaining speech‑language pathologists. Several members encouraged staff to pursue partnerships with Georgia Southern University’s speech‑language pathology program to create a pipeline of clinicians who could work in district schools; staff said a meeting with Georgia Southern was planned within the coming month.

The board approved the contract renewals by voice vote.