Fort Worth ISD’s contracted speech and special education services bill is now about $3.21 million, up from a $700,000 contract approved months earlier. The Texas-appointed board of managers voted for the increase on Sept. 8, 2026, while the district lists 58 special education-related vacancies, most of them speech-language pathologists. In the spring, FWISD cut in-house speech roles as part of a rebuild toward a 100 full-time SLP model. Caseloads did not wait for the rebuild.
What the Board Approved
Fort Worth Report and KERA reported that managers unanimously raised the previously approved $700,000 contract to $3,210,532 on Sept. 8. That is an additional about $2.51 million for contracted speech-language pathologists and other special education service providers.
Superintendent Peter Licata told managers the district was not spending “extra” money so much as moving vacancy dollars into contract labor.
The Spring Cuts Behind the Gap
In April, FWISD cut seven speech therapists and 10 assistant speech therapists as part of 32 position categories eliminated by the board of managers, the Report found. Leaders framed the cuts as a step toward a model of 100 full-time speech-language pathologists. In June, managers had approved $700,000 in contracted services to bridge staffing gaps.
By August, the district opened the year short on speech staff. Manager Tennessee Walker apologized after earlier assurances that FWISD would start fully staffed, the Report wrote in mid-August. Speech-language pathologist Max Pell later told managers a long coordinator vacancy hurt recruiting and that spring and summer instability helped create the crisis.
The Numbers Sitting on IEPs
District documents cited in the Sept. 14 reporting put special education-related vacancies at 58, mostly speech-language pathologists. More than 5,900 FWISD students currently receive speech-language therapy. Speech need has grown about 50% since 2018, even as overall enrollment has fallen by almost 24,000 since 2016, according to state records cited by the Report.
Chief of staff Louis Kushner said area districts pay SLP stipends upward of about $10,000, while FWISD’s stipend sits around $3,000, even though starting salaries are relatively high. Raising the stipend is a priority, he said, but a nearly $50 million shortfall makes it hard to bring forward soon.
Kushner also said 88% of students due for speech services had received them, with the rest to be seen before the end of the first six weeks.
What SLPs and Parents Told Managers
Christina Sellers, a district speech-language pathologist, told managers that direct therapy is only about half the job. Evaluations, IEP meetings, scheduling, and paperwork fill the rest. She argued that 100 full-time pathologists is not enough and asked for urgent caseload relief for direct hires.
Parent advocate Trenace Dorsey-Hollins of Parent Shield put the student stake plainly: the most vulnerable children should not wait while the district figures out a plan that should have been ready before the cuts.
Why Teachers Outside Fort Worth Are Watching
The pattern is familiar even if your badge says another district. Cut the in-house bench. Watch vacancies linger. Buy contractors at a premium. IEP minutes and evaluation timelines are still legal obligations. The adults who stayed inherit the caseload math while the district rents capacity it removed.
This site pack is the Sept. 8 contract vote and the reporting around it. It is not a second rewrite of older Green Bay SPED residue, and it is distinct from a Monday News C pitch that never became a published OMC article.
FAQ
How much is the contract now?
Managers approved raising it to $3,210,532 on Sept. 8, 2026, up from a previously approved $700,000 contract.
Did FWISD cut speech staff earlier?
Yes. Reporting says seven speech therapists and 10 assistant speech therapists were cut in April as part of wider position eliminations aimed at a 100 full-time SLP model.
How many students get speech therapy?
More than 5,900, per Fort Worth Report citing district/state figures, with speech need up about 50% since 2018.