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District outlines high special‑education costs and floated stipends to retain staff
Summary
Superintendent detailed special-education expenses—staff salaries and outside placements—and proposed boosting hard-to-fill stipends ($5,000 for resource teachers, $15,000 for self-contained) to reduce reliance on contracted agencies and stabilize services.
Fountain Hills Unified School District leaders told the governing board Tuesday that special-education costs are a major pressure on next year’s operating budget and presented a plan to increase retention pay for in‑district special-education teachers.
The figures: The superintendent described total salaries and benefits for district special-education staff as about $1,660,000 and cited tuition and contracted transportation costs for outside placements as a major additional expense. Staff said contracted placements and services can be volatile and costly for a small district and that some contracted providers conceal teacher pay rates.
Proposed retention pay: To reduce turnover and the district’s reliance on third‑party contracted teachers, staff proposed two stipend increases: an additional $5,000 per year for resource special‑education teachers and a $15,000 stipend for self‑contained teachers. District staff estimated the total recurring M&O cost of that package at roughly $65,000 annually, and said that investment could be offset in part by securing higher state reimbursements for high‑cost students.
Rationale and reactions: Board members expressed concern about fairness and asked whether other teachers would feel overlooked; staff said they had taken the proposal to meet-and-confer and that teachers supported directing pay to retention of difficult-to-fill special-education roles. Members asked staff to return with precise cost and funding-source breakdowns before any vote.
Next steps: The proposal was offered for discussion and will be refined with input from HR, finance and meet-and-confer before a future decision. Staff said they will also continue pursuing state and county reimbursements for high‑cost placements.
