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District discusses SLP staffing shift from contractors to employees and associated cost increase
Summary
Lakeland District reported more in-person speech-language pathology positions will be hired to replace virtual contractors, and staff said that converting contractors into district employees raises payroll costs because employees are paid across 12 months and during school breaks.
District staff told the board that a planned move from contracted speech-language pathology (SLP) services to district employees will increase costs but is intended to provide more consistent in-person services to students.
Representatives said some contracted SLPs had been providing virtual instruction and are paid only for days they work; district hires receive year-round pay spread over 12 months. Staff estimated the net additional cost associated with converting some contracted positions to employees at about $124,593, driven primarily by year-round pay and benefit structures.
Brooke Cunningham, the district’s HR director, explained that some paperwork and ancillary support positions previously associated with contracted services have been eliminated due to budget constraints. She said bringing experienced staff in-house is “much better for students to have an actual person sitting before them instead of putting them in front of a computer for their instructions,” while acknowledging additional cost.
Board members asked for clarification about caseloads, whether case managers would receive paperwork support, and how schedules would affect student session frequency. Staff confirmed that where contractors had provided virtual sessions over school days only, district employees are paid across the full school year and summers, increasing annual payroll costs.
No formal budget decision was made at the meeting; trustees accepted the superintendent’s follow-up report and discussed staffing implications, equity of service across buildings and the district’s ability to fund the positions within current allocations.
