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Board reviews superintendent goals, CTE expansion and internships; trustees flag speech-therapy staffing shortage
Summary
Superintendent staff reviewed goals to expand CTE certification and college-credit opportunities, reported internships and rehiring of district alumni, and discussed recruiting challenges for speech therapists despite a $10,000 signing bonus and a $100,000 online-therapy line item in the consent agenda.
Trustee Nicholson introduced roughly 28 new certificated staff for the 2025–26 school year, noting that about 57 percent are district alumni and that new hires will begin orientation the next morning.
"Tonight, we are welcoming approximately 28 new certificated staff, teachers, and administrators," Nicholson said during introductions.
Miss Ballinger outlined the superintendent's goals, including a stated vision "every student will walk off the graduation stage with a diploma in 1 hand and CTE certification in the other, along with college credit on their transcripts." She described plans to expand an allied-health class districtwide in the spring, deepen teacher professional development on Depth of Knowledge (DOK) and carry out site-level data goals and site data chats so each school sets a local improvement target.
Ballinger also summarized grow-your-own recruitment and internship programs: 78 students participated in Merced WorkNet internships this summer (limited to the city of Merced this year) and 30 students completed CalTeach internships.
Trustees used the consent-agenda discussion to press staff on a persistent staffing issue: attracting speech-language pathologists. A trustee referenced a $100,000 online speech-therapy line item and asked about recruitment strategies. Ballinger said the district has offered a $10,000 signing bonus (for two years of service) but "we've had 0 applicants in the last 5 years." She said online services are sometimes used because in-person hiring has not filled vacancies.
In procurement matters tied to instruction, Weimer recommended awarding a bid (2026-860-01) to West Air Gas and Electric Equipment to update welding equipment for the Ag Mechanics program funded through the Golden State Pathway grant; trustees approved the award on a motion.
Why this matters: the superintendent goals emphasize career-technical education and college credit pathways that shape curriculum and staffing priorities, while unresolved special-education staffing shortages (speech therapists) could affect service delivery and require creative recruitment or service models.
Next steps: staff will post details of new hires and continue recruitment efforts for speech-language positions, finalize allied-health rollout plans for the spring, and return with procurement documentation for the welding-equipment award.
