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Board hears explanation of VPK contract with Episcopal Children’s Services amid questions on summer-pay rates
Summary
Nassau County School District trustees discussed the Early Learning Coalition’s contractor Episcopal Children’s Services’ administrative role in summer VPK and asked why some summer staff rates — notably security — appear higher than administrator pay.
Nassau County School District officials on a board workshop described Episcopal Children’s Services as the contracted administrative partner for the county’s summer Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program and answered board questions about summer-program pay rates.
Board members asked how the district calculates summer pay rates after seeing a schedule listing administrators at $43.48 per hour and security officers at $50 per hour. “We have to go to their rate,” a district speaker said when asked whether the security officers’ pay came from Nassau County. The district clarified that instructional staff and administrators are hired and supervised by the district and that Episcopal Children’s Services manages enrollment, eligibility and issuance of the VPK certificate required for participation.
The district emphasized that Episcopal Children’s Services is not a church. “This is not the Episcopal Church. This is Episcopal Children’s Services that operates a pre-k program, day care programs, etcetera,” a district official said. The board was told Episcopal Children’s Services serves as the Early Learning Coalition of North Florida’s contracted provider in the area: it handles eligibility, issues certificates of eligibility for VPK and provides referrals and resource services to families.
Board members pressed for clarity on which organization sets pay for roles such as security and whether summer staff are district employees. The district said certified teachers, district administrators and district-hired paraprofessionals control instructional programming and hiring; the VPK provider handles eligibility and certificates. The board was told that some summer programs have been piloted — for example the kindergarten readiness program runs June 2–5 this year — and that programming is held in district facilities with district staff overseeing instruction.
Board members requested written follow-up materials. Chair and staff said the contract and personnel details will be on the consent agenda for the board’s monthly meeting and that materials would be provided to trustees before that vote.
The discussion did not include a final vote in the workshop; trustees were preparing to consider the contract on the advertised consent agenda at the board’s next regular meeting.
