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Union questions tutoring contract paid with Title I funds; district says vendor is to meet federal restrictions
Summary
A Hillsborough Education Association representative raised concerns that a newly approved tutoring contract could subcontract certificated teaching duties to an outside provider. District officials said the contract is intended to provide afternoon Title I interventions that federal rules restrict from being paid with district Title I allocations for regular staff.
Henry Goodhue, representing the Hillsboro Education Association, used the public‑comment periods to ask the board for clarification about agenda item 13.15, a contract to provide in‑person tutoring interventions.
Goodhue said the contract language shows certificated New Jersey teachers would be provided by the outside vendor and expressed concern that the district is "bringing in an outside organization to provide certificated New Jersey teachers to perform a duty that for years has been done by our members." He asked how this arrangement is not considered outsourcing or subcontracting of bargaining‑unit work.
District administrators responded in public discussion and in committee reporting that federal Title I rules limit how Title I funds can be used to pay regular staff salaries, and that the vendor arrangement was designed to deliver afternoon interventions where district Title I allocations would not legally pay teacher salaries for the extended kindergarten period. Administrators said the tutoring contract covers an 180‑school‑day scope and that the RFP was written to prioritize continuity (the district sought the same tutor across days where feasible), though substitutions may occur.
Board members and the superintendent acknowledged the union's concern and said the district would provide additional clarification about the staffing model and whether the contract could be structured to avoid supplanting district employees. The contract for the tutoring vendor was approved as part of the operations/consent slate; the board did not reopen approval during public comment but asked administration to report back.
What happens next: administrators will provide the board and the Hillsboro Education Association with implementation details that clarify how the vendor will staff the program and how the district will ensure the arrangement complies with Title I restrictions and collective‑bargaining provisions.
