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Board debates contracted behavior and engagement specialists as administration offers data
Summary
Administrators outlined roles for engagement specialists and behavior specialists (attendance, credit recovery, restorative 'reset room', and special‑education FBAs) and said a 3% contract rate increase and specific staffing details are in the packet; board members asked for data on student ratios, outcomes and whether services should be expanded to K–6.
The board spent an extended portion of its meeting reviewing contracted behavioral supports. Dr. Laura (superintendent) described three engagement specialists currently working with grades 7–12 — addressing chronic absenteeism, credit recovery and the reset room restorative practice — and said behavior specialists are tied to emotional‑support classrooms and perform functional behavior assessments and behavior plans.
Administration told the board the vendor (Key Solutions/Key Source) presented a year‑to‑year 3% rate increase in the packet and cited sample line items, including a contract line near $69,937 for a position and a direct support pay rate referenced as $36.05 per hour for 35 hours per week. Board members requested clearer student‑to‑specialist ratios and outcome data before committing to ongoing contracts.
“We have a good bit of data that we’ve gathered from the reset room…we'd be happy to share it because it's pretty significant,” Dr. Laura said, offering a follow‑up presentation showing discipline and graduation impacts. Board members pressed whether the model could be extended to K–6 and asked for a concise “day‑in‑the‑life” description of what staff do in a typical day.
Administrators and board members framed the contract choice as a trade‑off: contracting provides flexibility to request or replace specific staff, while direct hire may shift healthcare and other employment costs to the district. Administration said internal takeover could be more expensive after benefits are accounted for and offered to present data and staff who work in the reset room at a future public meeting.
Next steps: administration will prepare a staff presentation with student ratios, discipline and credit‑recovery data, and a description of daily duties for contracted personnel before the board takes final action on renewing or modifying the vendor contract.
