Teachers, paraeducators press Schuylkill Valley on school psychologists and behavior support
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Summary
Public commenters and school staff told the board the district lacks full-time psychologists and behavior specialists, forcing learning-support staff to absorb crisis response. District leaders said hiring remains in progress and contracted services are being used as a stopgap.
At the board meeting, paraeducators and a district employee said Schuylkill Valley School District does not have sufficient emotional‑support teachers, psychologists or behavior specialists to meet students' needs, and they urged the board to prioritize hiring and reallocate resources.
Sally Horton, a Leesport resident and paraeducator, said the district has only one full‑time psychologist at the elementary school and that middle- and high‑school students rely on a contracted agency with “limited availability.” She said classrooms lack emotional support teachers and that the district’s outsourced behavior specialist provides “9 hours a week for all 3 buildings,” which she called inadequate.
"When a student has a crisis, the learning support teacher is forced to leave their classroom to manage the situation while the other students lose instructional time," Horton said. She added that paraeducator positions are being left unfilled, that the district recently posted an assistant superintendent role and that paraeducators are advertised at a starting wage of $13.32 per hour.
Superintendent Dr. Tashner acknowledged the staffing shortfall and told the board the district has posted two school‑psychologist positions and conducted interviews. "We have had interviews for those, have not hired someone, but just had another interview last week," she said, adding the district is using contracted services to meet evaluation and re‑evaluation deadlines while it continues hiring efforts.
Tashner said the district is exploring options to make openings more attractive, including asking whether a psychologist position could be uncoupled from external contracts to allow the district to offer a different package. She said administrators have met with special‑education staff and principals to identify scheduling and support needs, and that the district is reviewing the use of contracted BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) services and behavior technicians.
Horton and other speakers noted programs and line‑item spending they viewed as higher priority: a $600,000 reading program previously approved by the board; proposed wage increases for game workers; and an assistant superintendent posting. District leaders said they continue to seek candidates and are considering multiple recruitment approaches.
The district did not adopt a policy change during the meeting. Board members and administrators said they will continue recruitment, use contracted services as needed, and consider programmatic adjustments to improve on‑site behavior and psychological supports.
