Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bledsoe County Board approves additional special-education paraprofessionals after split votes
Summary
After a split first vote, the Bledsoe County Board of Education approved nine new paraprofessional positions (one floater repurposed to direct service, totaling 10 positions) for special education amid concerns about hiring paraprofessionals instead of certified teachers.
The Bledsoe County Board of Education on June 2 approved adding additional paraprofessionals to support special-education students after an initial motion to hire certified teachers failed.
Corey Garrett, the district’s Special Education Supervisor, requested nine new paraprofessional positions; the minutes state one existing floater position would be repurposed for direct service, yielding a total of 10 positions to provide direct support to students. Board members raised concerns about hiring paraprofessionals rather than certified special-education teachers.
A motion by board member Steve Perry to decline the paraprofessional plan and instead hire four certified special-education teachers failed on a 3–4 roll-call vote (Yes: Tim Churches, Steve Perry, Charles Reece; No: Andy Billingsley, Jacob Frady, Carolyn Oakes, Don Snow). Chairman Andy Billingsley then moved to approve the paraprofessional hires; that motion passed 4–3 (Yes: Andy Billingsley, Jacob Frady, Carolyn Oakes, Don Snow; No: Tim Churches, Steve Perry, Charles Reece).
The minutes list placement counts by school but the distribution text includes duplicated entries for Pikeville Elementary (the minutes list both 2 and 4 positions for Pikeville). The minutes state nine new paraprofessional positions plus one floater repurposed for direct service; the distribution by school in the minutes is not fully clear.
The board did not record further details in the minutes about hiring timelines, salary ranges for the paraprofessionals, or how the new positions will be funded. Implementation details were not specified in the minutes.
The board moved on to other agenda items. The minutes do not record public comment on this item or additional staff presentations beyond the initial request from Garrett.
