The Marion County School Board is scheduled to vote on two independent contractor agreements totaling nearly $180,000 to provide essential speech therapy and sign language services for the upcoming school year.
A total of $179,965.50 in contracts will be up for a vote during the board’s regular meeting on Tuesday, July 14. Both agreements are placed on the meeting’s consent agenda under the Exceptional Student Education category, meaning they are slated to be approved in a single collective vote without individual board or public comment unless a board member intentionally separates them for standalone discussion.
The first agreement on the agenda is a $73,495.50 contract with Thank Me Later Vending & Catering L.L.C., which does business as TJ Signs 4U. Under the agreement, the company will provide one school lead sign language interpreter to support the districtwide delivery of interpreting, transliteration, and translation services to approximately 40 students in Marion County Public Schools.
The contract sets an hourly rate of $39.00 based on the interpreter’s credentialing and role, capping regular weekly hours at 38.75. The contract term runs from August 1, through June 30, 2027, and includes financial allocations to extend the agreement for Extended School Year summer services through July 31, 2027. Funding for the agreement will be drawn from the district’s General Fund as well as federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA-B) grants.
The second item is an agreement with Willow and Words Speech and Language Services, LLC, valued at a maximum of $106,470. That contract will secure a professional speech-language pathologist to support the district’s speech therapy framework, which services approximately 4,000 students across the area.
The contract stipulates an hourly rate of $65.00 for a maximum of 38.75 hours per week. Following the same timeline as the interpreting agreement, this contract begins on August 1, terminates on June 30, 2027, and carries provisions for summer services through July 31, 2027. It relies on the identical combination of the district’s General Fund and federal IDEA-B grant funding.
According to the district, both contracts are legally required to comply with eligible students’ Individualized Education Plans and ensure the district fulfills federal mandates to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education. The district notes approval of the agreements will directly help students with disabilities succeed academically by developing critical skills, reducing physical and systemic barriers to learning, and enhancing their overall quality of life.
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