Hillsboro R-III approves preliminary HR plan for 2025'26, adds special ed teacher and a tiered stipend structure to aid retention

The board approved the preliminary human-resources plan for the 2025'26 school year and several related personnel actions.

Enrollment and staffing: Staff presented enrollment data and multi-year projections. The district reported current enrollment at 3,413 students and said the most recent count was 3,139 (a decline of 87 students from last year). Staff said kindergarten enrollment stood at 207 students and that the district expects some continued downward pressure on kindergarten classes in coming years due to demographic trends. As part of staffing planning, the board approved adding an agriculture teacher in the 2025'26 staffing plan and reviewed building-level class-size impacts and potential internal staff moves.

Special education staffing and stipends: As a follow-on to the HR plan, the board approved allocation of funds for an additional elementary special education teacher for the remainder of the year. Separately, the board approved a tiered stipend schedule intended to improve recruitment and retention of special education staff. The stipend tiers approved were described as $4,000 for behavior-program or secondary autism positions, $3,000 for life-skills classrooms, and $2,000 for general resource and co-teaching positions. District staff said the total annual cost of the stipend program was "about $72,000" if all eligible positions were filled, and they said the program is intended to reduce reliance on contracted services and costly retirees; staff told the board the stipend structure will be evaluated annually.

Board secretary extra-duty schedule: The board approved adding the Board of Education secretary role to the district's extra-duty salary schedule effective Jan. 1, 2025, with stipends prorated for the remainder of the year. The packet read a pay range aloud that was transcribed in the meeting as "64.00 2 to $10,002.53"; the board recorded the range in the packet and approved implementation beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

Board members discussed recruitment challenges for special education positions and the intent that stipends reduce turnover and the need for contracted services. The board approved the HR plan and the related personnel items as presented.