Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board tables $121,512 EPIC special-education contract and approves $168K Sierra Academy placements amid staffing shortage
Summary
Board members split over contracting a self-contained special-education teacher at $121,512; motion to table passed 3-1 while the board approved out-of-district placements and discussed large costs for specialized tuition and transportation.
The Fountain Hills Unified School board debated how to staff self-contained special-education needs and how to pay for high-cost out-of-district placements at its June 18 meeting.
Staff presented a contract proposal to hire a self-contained special-education teacher through EPIC Special Education Staffing for $121,512. Several board members said they opposed contracting at that rate and urged the administration to explore increasing district pay, add hard-to-fill differentials, or create a tuition- or stipend-based pathway for current staff to obtain SPED certification. One board member said contracting with outside firms can incentivize teachers to leave district employment because contractors often pay more and do not provide the same retirement benefits.
After discussion the board voted to table the EPIC contract (motion passed 3-1) and asked staff to continue recruitment and provide follow-up options. Staff and board members noted that if a district cannot staff a self-contained classroom, students may have to be placed at specialized schools such as Sierra Academy or ACES, which are significantly more costly.
Separately, the board approved a purchase over $100,000 to Sierra Academy for out-of-district special-education placements. Staff said two Sierra Academy placements were estimated at approximately $168,000 (total transportation and tuition for the period noted), and related out-of-district placements (ACES, ProCare) were discussed with totals cited in the transcript in the low hundreds of thousands across multiple students.
Board members asked staff to provide a written breakdown of reimbursements and offsets (group E weights, Medicaid billing and high-cost child reimbursements) so trustees can compare district-based staffing costs with out-of-district placement costs. Superintendent and staff committed to pursuing intergovernmental agreements (IGAs) with nearby districts to share placement capacity and to explore pathways for internal staff to obtain SPED certification and hard-to-fill differentials.
What happens next: the EPIC contract is tabled; staff will continue recruitment, prepare cost comparisons of contracting vs. increased in-house pay including retirement effects, and provide estimates of Medicaid and other reimbursements for out-of-district placements.
