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Teachers and parents raise staffing and contracting concerns; superintendent announces drone safety pilot and honors arts partnerships
Summary
During public comment, speech-language pathologists and parents urged the district to invest in in-house staff rather than contractors (28 SLP vacancies were cited). Superintendent Carmen Balgobin announced Volusia is one of three Florida districts selected for a state-funded drone 'campus guardian' pilot; the board also heard presentations from Atlantic Center for the Arts and recognized DeLand High band.
Volusia County teachers and parents used the Nov. 18 public-comment period to press the board about staffing for special education and the district's use of outside contractors, while the superintendent highlighted awards and a new state-funded safety pilot.
Speech-language pathologist Alyssa Cherkow told the board the district repeatedly pays outside contractor companies more than in-house staff for the same work and urged the board to "start shifting that investment back to where it belongs, into the people who have chosen to make Volusia County Schools their home." Cherkow said that when contractors return asking for higher rates, the district pays more while employee…
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