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Curriculum committee advances renewals and amendments for special‑education and student‑support contracts
Summary
Brunswick County Schools staff told the curriculum committee they will renew and consolidate recurring contracts for speech services, developmental‑day slots and one‑to‑one nursing support, request a higher contract ceiling to cover year‑end invoices, and said increases reflect more medically fragile students and parent choice under a recent state law.
Brunswick County Schools staff told the curriculum committee on June 2 that several recurring contracts that support speech, developmental‑day and one‑to‑one nursing services will be renewed, consolidated where possible and placed on the consent agenda for board approval.
The committee heard that the Speech Solutions contract is being renewed with no substantive changes. Presenter Miss Quinnland said the district currently contracts one full‑time speech provider at Union and three part‑time providers who also support preschool and cover vacancies.
Staff also reported capacity increases in two developmental‑day programs: Kids Only is expanding slots from 25 to 40, and the Child Development Center from 15 to 18, moves staff said will increase the district’s ability to serve its caseload of exceptional children.
On one‑to‑one nursing, staff described an amendment to the Intella Choice contract to cover ongoing invoices and the district’s growing need for nursing services. "We have doubled the number of students that we serve that are medically fragile that require one‑to‑one nursing services," Miss Quinnland said, and she cited a recent state law change that, under certain criteria, allows parents to choose their child’s one‑to‑one nurse. Staff told the committee the current year’s expenditures rose to about $89,000 as finances were closed out and requested flexibility for 2026–27, asking for a not‑to‑exceed figure of $450,000 to allow consolidation and to accommodate enrollment changes.
Staff said the per‑student spending should remain "relatively flat" because higher invoice totals reflect increased enrollment and some parents’ provider choices rather than higher hourly rates; the district uses the Medicaid state rate (reported in the meeting as $52 per hour) as a baseline in negotiations.
The committee also discussed ProAre, a contract the district uses to fill vacancies (for example, during maternity leave or when local providers cannot fill positions). Staff recommended consolidating four separate contracts into a single ProAre agreement with a not‑to‑exceed amount of $450,000 for 2026–27, arguing the agency supplies ECTA support, therapists and recruitment assistance the district has relied on in prior years.
Committee members asked for a breakdown of impacted students and services. Staff said roughly 11 students were currently impacted by the Intella Choice nursing contract and that a recent enrollment would raise that to 12 unless other changes occur.
Next steps: staff placed these items on the consent agenda for the June board meeting and said they would share the requested spreadsheets and student‑level summaries with the committee prior to the vote.
