Duval board reviews up to $16 million augmentation to secure therapists, SLPs and other ESE services

The Duval County School Board at a May 2025 workshop discussed a proposed augmentation agreement, described by district staff as “a value up to $16,000,000,” to secure speech-language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, audiologists, school psychologists, behavior analysts and other licensed specialists needed to deliver services to students ages 3–22 under Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Board member Willie led questions about the size and structure of the contract and whether district hiring or collective-bargaining processes could be used instead. “A 1% raise to all of our employees costs this district, include your, approximately 15,000,000,” Willie said while arguing the board must weigh raises against contracted staffing. Doctor Bernier, speaking for district staff, said: “That is correct, sir… this is a value up to $16,000,000. Our expectation is not to spend the full amount of this contract, but to work with our human resources provision in order to attempt to find these individuals.”

Why it matters: the district says the augmentation is intended to ensure compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and meet IEP requirements when the district cannot recruit certified personnel at available pay rates. Staff told the board the contract would cover multiple staffing arrangements — full-time employees, part-time or contractual employees — depending on the service and student need.

Funding and district accounting: staff described the interplay of federal and state funding with local general funds. “All students carry with them funding. We are consistently referring to a number of approximately $8,000 just to lose the time numbers. Our students come with a certain value through the FEFP model,” Doctor Bernier said, referring to the state funding formula’s base student allocation. He and other staff explained that for some special-education categories a weighting factor multiplies that base allocation (for example, higher-weight categories like 2.53–2.55 increase per-student revenue) and that the district is using a mix of FEFP-generated general fund dollars and federal IDEA funds to cover excess costs.

Board concerns and operational details: board members asked whether the district could attract more of these specialists directly through higher salary packages or job-share options for part-time workers, and whether use of third-party vendors created multi-tier subcontracting that reduces district control. One board member said he counted “33 or 36 subcontractors” in the proposal and called that structure “a little like an MLM.” District staff replied that the district’s goal remains to hire directly when possible and that the augmentation is a contingency that preserves service delivery when certified employees are not available.

On subcontracting, staff explained the contract language makes the prime contractor responsible for any subcontractor vetting and background checks and that subcontractors would not return to the board for separate approval: “The individual receiving the contract would be responsible for the subcontractor,” a district representative said.

Discussion versus action: the workshop included detailed questions and staff explanations but did not record a formal vote on the augmentation in the transcript provided. Multiple board members requested follow-up information: comparisons of district pay vs. regional districts, a review of recruitment and retention strategies (including job-share options), and a clearer breakout of how much of the cost would be drawn from general funds versus federal IDEA allocations.

What’s next: staff said they will return with additional detail on funding breakdowns, bargaining implications and recruitment/retention options. The district emphasized the augmentation is intended to be supplementary and used only when direct hiring is not possible.

Ending note: the board repeatedly framed the item as a trade-off between immediate service continuity for students with IEPs and long-term workforce development strategies to reduce reliance on third-party contracts.