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Board approves $350,000 increase for contracted nursing and related services for students with intensive needs
Summary
The Governing Board approved a contract increase of $350,000 to pay for nursing and related therapy services for students with significant special education needs; the district said Medicaid reimbursement is the primary funding source and that agency contractors are used when employees are not available.
Mesa Public Schools' Governing Board on Aug. 14 authorized a contract increase of $350,000 to cover specialty services — including one‑to‑one nursing, speech‑language pathologists and related providers — needed by a small number of students with intensive special education needs.
The contract increase was presented to the board as an incremental, not open‑ended, authorization: district staff said the $350,000 figure is an estimate to cover agency providers for students who require full‑time nursing and other services while the district continues to recruit employees. "This is just authorization to spend up to an additional $300,000 because of these new students," a district staff member explained, adding the district reconciles invoices and brings further requests back to the board if totals approach the authorized cap.
During public comment, Jason Smithson, a Webster Elementary parent and special‑education advocate, urged the board to protect district special‑education leadership as the district reorganizes. "The loss of our most visible and effective advocate is devastating," Smithson said, arguing an executive director role should be retained for special education if the assistant superintendent post is removed.
Funding and providers: District staff told the board the services on the contract are typically reimbursed through Medicaid billing for eligible students and do not come from unrestricted maintenance and operation funds. Staff also said the district initially intends to use several vendors to supply agency nurses and therapists when district employees are not available; the vendors named in public comment materials included Educational Contracting LLC, Everybody Matters Inc. and MGA Home Healthcare LLC. Board members clarified that the contract increase is for services already required by enrolled students and that the district will reconcile actual expenditures against the contract authorization.
Why it matters: The district identified six students this year who require full‑time nursing support on campus (up from three the previous year), creating a need for contracted providers while recruitment continues. Board members noted federal and state law require districts to provide services specified in students’ IEPs, which can be costly but are mandated for access to public schools.
Vote and next steps: The board approved the contract increase by vote of five yeas. District staff said the special‑education team will continue recruitment and will close contracts where positions are filled by employees rather than agency providers; if expenditures approach the approved cap, staff will return to the board for further authorization.
Ending: Board members emphasized the legal obligation to provide required services and asked staff to track vendor invoices and funding sources closely. The board also encouraged continued transparency to address public questions about how contract dollars are used.
