The Fountain Hills Unified School District (FHUSD) Governing Board approved a purchase over $100,000 for Epic Special Education staffing on Monday, July 8.
Epic will provide a self-contained special education teacher for McDowell Mountain Elementary School (MMES). FHUSD Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Coordinator Leah Gleason first approached the Board about Epic on Wednesday, June 5, and has been unable to find a qualified candidate to fill the position since.
FHUSD offered a hard-to-fill stipend on top of the position’s salary and Superintendent Dr. Cain Jagodzinski looked at alternatives to avoid using a contracting service. Jagodzinski plans to move away from contractors by next year, but he said it’s his responsibility to have a teacher in the classroom on the first day of school.
