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Committee approves $1,500 annual stipend for certified speech-language pathologists
Summary
The Personnel and Policy Committee approved a district proposal to pay a $1,500 annual stipend to speech-language pathologists who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC), aiming to improve retention and reduce reliance on contracted or virtual services.
The Manitowoc School District Personnel and Policy Committee voted to recommend an annual $1,500 stipend for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who hold the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, a nationally recognized credential that requires specific education, clinical experience and professional standards.
District presenters told the committee that SLPs are difficult to recruit and retain, and that bringing clinicians on-site reduces the need for contracted or virtual services and can lower long-term costs. Committee discussion covered the certificate’s role as a professional standard, the district’s historical staffing levels and whether the stipend amount would be competitive with neighboring districts.
The district reported it funds 12 SLP positions and currently has 10 SLPs working; members noted vacancies have been difficult to fill. Committee members compared stipends in nearby districts (several districts were cited as offering stipends, and at least one was mentioned as offering larger amounts), and some members questioned whether $1,500 would be sufficient if the district continued to lose clinicians to higher-paying districts.
Committee members also asked whether similar stipends would be appropriate for other licensed specialists such as school psychologists; the director of people services explained that the national certification for school psychologists is not as time- and coursework-intensive as the CCC program and that the current proposal applies specifically to SLPs. The committee voted to recommend the stipend; committee discussion indicated the stipend will be monitored and could be adjusted if the district loses staff to higher-paying neighboring districts.
Implementation details discussed at the meeting: the stipend is annual, applies to SLPs holding the CCC, and will be paid in addition to base salary. The source of the stipend funding was not specified in the committee discussion and will be clarified in the implementation plan.
