Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel And Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dothan school board rejects mental-health coordinator and exec director proposals after cost and capacity debate
Summary
The Dothan City Schools board declined to approve job descriptions for a Mental Health Coordinator and Executive Director of Schools and Student Support after trustees raised concerns about whether single roles could replace vendor services and about costs and overlap; motions failed by recorded votes.
The Dothan City Schools Board of Education voted on Jan. 20, 2026, to reject proposals to create a district Mental Health Coordinator and to approve an Executive Director of Schools and Student Support job description, following a heated discussion about capacity, cost and overlap with existing central-office roles.
Superintendent Dr. Garrick Askew recommended both positions as part of broader staffing and service adjustments. He told the board the coordinator position would allow the district “to have an in-house professional to support both students and staff,” and cited the role as a common practice in other districts. Board debate focused on whether a single district position could replace services currently provided by SpectraCare, a vendor that the board uses for counseling and crisis response.
Trustee Ashley Davis said vendor records indicate SpectraCare provided services totaling about $193,000 in 2025 and $42,000 so far in 2026, and warned that “SpectraCare provides multiple full-time counselors across the district who collectively serve more than 300 students,” arguing that one coordinator could not replicate that capacity. Dr. Askew referenced district spending figures and an estimated salary: he said the district spends approximately $262,000 per year on SpectraCare and that the coordinator was estimated to cost about $98,000; district staff clarified the estimated salary at about $96,000.
Motions to approve both job descriptions failed on recorded votes. The Mental Health Coordinator job description failed with three trustees in favor and four opposed; the Executive Director of Schools and Student Support job description similarly failed after trustees said duties overlapped with already-approved Assistant Superintendent responsibilities.
Board members also used parliamentary procedure to delay further action on the Director of School Improvement job description: after tabling and subsequent procedural votes, the board voted to postpone consideration and set an August 2026 timeframe for revisiting planning and hiring timelines.
The board discussed the practical implications of reduced vendor reliance, with Dr. Askew acknowledging that SpectraCare would still be used for emergencies requiring multiple counselors while an in-house position could reduce, but not eliminate, vendor dependency. The board took no immediate hiring action and directed staff to continue planning where appropriate.
Next steps: the Superintendent’s recommendations remain on the record; trustees asked staff to track vendor spending and staffing needs and to return with refined proposals and financial details if and when they seek future approval.
