Private companies to provide speech services

The Shawano School District is not going to be able to fill all of its vacant speech pathologist positions and will instead have to turn to private sector companies to fill the mandated services needed.

Tom Deschant, pupil services director, told the Shawano School Board on Aug. 22 that the necessity would not be as great if a former employee hadn’t “warned” a prospective candidate for one of the vacancies about the current employee atmosphere in the district.

Dot Com Therapy will be providing online speech pathologist services to about 125 students within the district, while MJ Care, based in New Berlin, will be providing in-person services to another 45 students who have issues that online services can’t resolve, according to Deschant.

“A lot of thought goes into this,” Deschant said. “I know that each of our board members want what is best for our students.”

Dot Com Therapy will be charging $2,712 per student for its services, for a total cost of $339,036 to the district. MJ Care is offering in-person services at a rate of $78 per hour, including an overtime charge of 1½ times the hourly rate, as well as a mileage rate of 50 cents per mile.

Deschant claimed the private sector contracts were necessary due to what he described were “personal attacks” and “complaints formed in misinformation.” He noted the concerning behavior has come out of public forums and comments, and he claimed the guidelines for public comments were not being adhered to.

“The negative things, they need to go through the proper channels,” Deschant said.

He noted that he received an email from someone who was offered a position in the district who ultimately declined to take the job. Deschant, reading from the email, said that the applicant had been contacted by a former employee who gave a “strong warning” about working in the district, and the applicant was hesitant to come to Shawano.

“That person also reached out to a person who did accept the position,” Deschant said. “That reaching out is going to cost the district $40,000. That’s money that could have went to other things like staff trainings.”

School districts are mandated to provide speech and language pathology services, whether there is sufficient staff or not, to students who have an individual education plan (IEP). With the first day of school coming next week, Deschant said the contracted pathologists were the only option to keep Shawano out of mediation with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.

“I kept the positions open as long as possible in order to try to get people here, but it’s a very hard position to fill,” Deschant said. “I can tell you, looking at the private sector, it’s a hard game there, as well.”

Deschant did not name the person who allegedly warned the applicant about the work environment, but Erin Davids, a pathologist who left the district earlier in the summer, posted on the Facebook site for Citizens Listening and Advocating for Shawano Schools, that she was getting messages and texts about Deschant’s claims and refuted them.

“I never spoke to the speech therapist who verbally accepted and then declined the job. I don’t even know his/her name,” Davids wrote. “The one speech therapist I have spoken to reached out to me and she accepted the job.”

Although the contracts were approved unanimously, board member Mart Grams had strong reservations about having the bulk of students with IEPs getting services virtually instead of face to face. He noted that he received those services when he was in junior high and credited them for making him who he is today.

“They cannot be in front of a screen, and if you can’t find somebody, we need to raise the ante,” Grams said. “Yes, the private sector gets paid more, but they’re well-trained. I’m willing to pay them $100,000 before I pay anyone else $100,000, because those services are essential.”

Deschant said the district had utilized Dot Com last year, so there was experience with the company.

Board member Jeana Winslow was concerned about whether the method of service that the two companies provide would be comparable, or whether the students receiving the virtual care would be negatively impacted.

Deschant claimed it would be equal, saying that every pathologist contracted is licensed in the field.

“Their methodologies are sound,” he said. “We’re not talking about them sitting on a screen and doing a program. They have a live person that’s behind that screen. They’re getting anything that any other student would get.”

Kris Going, a former instructional coach for the district, expressed concern about the additional costs, noting that a staff member would need to be in the room with the student receiving the virtual services, especially those in the lower grades.

“I think you might need a person to facilitate that kid in front of a computer,” Going said.

Deschant said that the district would have a paraprofessional accompany students to the room where the virtual services would be administered, the same as what was done last year.

The contracts can be terminated with 90 days notice. Deschant said the district is going to keep the vacant positions open in the hopes of finding candidates to conduct in-person pathology services.

lpulaski@newmedia-wi.com