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Board approves IDEA‑funded stipends for special‑education staff and contract for high‑needs students
Summary
The district approved $1,200 'hard‑to‑fill' stipends for center‑based special‑education teachers (funded from IDEA) and a contract with Southwest Educational Center to provide transportation and specialized instruction for high‑needs students; one position was authorized at a 6/5 workload rather than receiving the stipend.
The Casa Grande Union High School District board approved two related actions Aug. 11 addressing services for students with significant special needs: a multi‑district contract with Southwest Educational Center to provide transportation and specialized instructional programming for high‑need (Level D) students, and the creation of $1,200 "hard‑to‑fill" stipends for certain center‑based special‑education positions.
Superintendent Jeff Lavender described Southwest Educational Center as a regional program that allows several districts to pool resources for students who require small, specialized settings. Tina Daniels, the district's director of academics/student success, described placement criteria for the tuition- and placement‑type program: students who need more restrictive environments and smaller class sizes may be placed there, and the center combines instructional programming and transportation to serve multiple districts.
On stipends, the district said 11 center‑based positions were identified as difficult to fill; it proposed a $1,200 stipend to recognize the added workload and to protect planning periods and 30‑minute uninterrupted lunch breaks for staff. The superintendent stated these stipends will be paid from Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) funds, not the district's maintenance and operations budget. One teacher (Mr. Sales) was proposed to work six periods per day (a 6/5 workload) because of specific staffing needs; the board agreed that the 6/5 arrangement would replace the $1,200 stipend for that position.
Both the Southwest contract and the ESS stipend package were approved by the board in open session. The superintendent cautioned that if IDEA funding is not available in a future year, the district would have to revisit these stipends.
Action recorded: approval of Southwest Educational Center service contract for the 2025–26 school year and approval of ESS 'hard‑to‑fill' stipends funded from IDEA.
