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Board debate focuses on psychologist cuts and special-education risks
Summary
Board members debated the operational impacts of cutting one psychologist, highlighting assessments completed this year, counseling caseloads, and a current psychologist-to-student ratio of about 1:222 that staff said would tighten if positions are eliminated.
District staff described the district’s psychologist staffing and service load and warned that eliminating a psychologist would shift legally mandated work and counseling responsibilities to other staff. "So our current ratio, if you look at just a ratio, would be 1 psychologist to every 222 students," the district staff member said, and noted that psychologists completed 39 psychoeducational assessments this year plus FBAs and behavior intervention plans.
Board members pushed back on cuts that could create compliance risk. The Chair emphasized non-negotiables around class sizes and special-education compliance, saying the district cannot expose itself to further litigation and citing recent warrant payments tied to past legal fees. Members asked staff about contracting as a short-term backup and whether interns could partially fill counseling roles depending on supervisory capacity and seniority rules.
