Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Special Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Vernonia to consolidate Tier 3 supports and contract with ESD for psychologist services after layoffs
Summary
Board discussion clarified that the district will eliminate some positions (including the Tier 3 director), consolidate services into existing programs, and contract through the ESD for psychological services while using in-house staff for interim coverage.
Board members sought details about how Tier 3 behavioral supports and the district’s school psychologist services will be maintained after staffing reductions. Agency official said the Tier 3 director position is being eliminated and confirmatory counts for classroom impacts would be provided later; the district intends to contract with its ESD for psychological services and to use available school psychologists internally as needed.
During questioning a trustee asked whether the Tier 3 behavior programs will still have adults present and whether dedicated spaces will continue. The presenter said, “That whole person is not gonna be here, and we are going to contract through the ESD for those psychological services,” and added that some duties could be covered temporarily by an in-house school psychologist and classified interventionists in the classroom.
Officials emphasized that the programs themselves are not being eliminated but that specialist roles and supervisory structures will change; access to Tier 3 supports and online programs (e.g., Edgenuity) will continue. Staff said they will provide exact student counts for each impacted program on request and will monitor transitions to ensure continuity of services.
