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Board approves higher stipends for hard-to-fill special-education positions
Summary
Trustees approved increases to special-education stipends (resource teachers to $10,000; self-contained teachers to $15,000), a move administrators said should reduce reliance on contracted providers and cost roughly $60,000 next fiscal year.
The Fountain Hills Unified School District board voted on April 2 to increase hard-to-fill stipends for special-education positions, a measure administrators presented as a retention tool and a way to reduce contracting costs. Under the approved plan resource teachers will receive a stipend increase from $5,000 to $10,000 and the district’s two self-contained teachers will move from $5,000 to $15,000, with administration estimating an approximately $60,000 impact on next year’s budget.
Why it matters: Board members said the stipend boosts are intended to make in-house employment more attractive than contracting through outside companies, which can cost the district more and direct less pay to teachers. Trustees noted that retaining certified special-education staff could produce savings compared with contracting and improve continuity of services for students.
What happened at the meeting: Administration confirmed the proposal ran through the district’s Meet and Confer process; the board moved and seconded the recommendation and approved it by voice vote. Trustees clarified that contracted employees would not be eligible for the stipend and discussed possible pathways (including tuition support or partnerships with Arizona State) to certify classified staff who want to become special-education teachers.
Next steps: Administration will implement the stipend changes for the next school year and continue work on staff development pathways and outreach to recruit and retain certified SPED teachers.
