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Okaloosa school board reviews $1.6M tag-on contract as district cites shortage of speech and therapy staff
Summary
The Okaloosa County School Board discussed a proposed $1.6 million tag-on contract for specialized therapy services and heard district staff describe local shortages of speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists that drive use of contractors.
The Okaloosa County School Board on Thursday reviewed a proposed tag-on contract valued at $1,600,000 for specialized therapy services and heard district staff say persistent local shortages of speech-language pathologists (SLPs), occupational therapists (OTs) and physical therapists (PTs) require hiring contract providers.
"How many contract employees does this $1,600,000 give us? Does anybody know?" a board member asked during discussion of agenda item 7.16, RFP 241,904, which was presented as a tag-on contract by Vince Windham, program director for purchasing.
"Good morning. So we have a deficit of available, speech and language pathologists, OTs, PTs, in our area. . . . So we do work with some of these contract companies . . . they do all the same things that the employees of the district do, but we just don't have enough people to fill our roles," district staff member Miss Ard said, explaining why the district turns to multiple vendor companies and sometimes piggybacks on neighboring Escambia County’s procurement work to secure therapists.
Why the contracts are needed: Miss Ard told the board that supply-and-demand and pay differentials with the private sector limit the district’s ability to hire enough full-time therapists. She said the district recently had roughly seven SLPs filled by contractors in the prior year and two contract OTs, while most PT roles were held by district employees; the board and staff said they continue active recruitment and sometimes convert contractors to employees when possible.
The board and staff discussed how the tag-on arrangement works: Windham and others explained the district can "tag on" (piggyback) to an awarded contract from another county to obtain the same terms, conditions and price, and that the district often uses that route to secure favorable pricing and vetted vendors.
The district also described retention tools: stipends of up to about $8,000 were noted as available for certain credentials and certification assistance to help retain and attract therapists, and staff said they will continue to recruit locally and nationally.
No formal vote on the contract was recorded in the meeting transcript. The item was presented and discussed as part of the consent agenda; board members asked for staffing counts, clarifications about which companies are on the roster and how many individuals are likely to be available through the contract.
Board members pressed staff for detail on how many therapists the proposed funding might procure and whether using contractors reduces continuity of service. Staff responded the number of individuals depends on available candidates that the contract vendors can supply and on fluctuating needs across schools.
The discussion underscores a recurring operational issue for the district: school officials said recruiting SLPs and other therapy professionals is difficult because some make more in private practice, and some candidates prefer virtual work rather than face-to-face school-based roles. Staff noted active local recruitment and earlier conversions of contractors to employees when possible.
The board discussion closed with staff indicating the district will continue to rely on a mix of employees and contract providers to meet student needs, and that the item will remain on the agenda for approval procedures with the superintendent’s recommendation.
