Plymouth School Board approves agreements to create Special Ed Cooperative, PATHS along with Argos and Triton schools

Tuesday evening, December 5^th the Plymouth Community School Board met in the Administration Building. 

Assistant Superintendent Jill VanDriessche discussed a request to hire and revisions to the Classified Conditions of Employment for a Special Education Compliance and Data Coordinator.  This new position is part of the cooperative agreement between Plymouth, Argos, and Triton Helping Students program that will be known as PATHS.

The pay for this new position would be $20 to $24 hourly.  The revisions also include a slight pay increase for substitute teachers from $115 daily to $120.  The School Board approved the request.

Members of the school board approved the PATHS Employee Conditions of Employment and the five-year cooperative agreement for PATHS between Plymouth Community Schools, Argos, Triton School Corporation, and Triton School Corporation.  The nature and scope of services provided are dependent upon the services necessary to provide quality special education for exceptional children and the policies adopted by the PATHS Board of Managers. PATHS will provide services that are not economically feasible for the participating school corporations to provide individually. The services include but are not limited to, administration, psychological services, therapy services, counseling, and coordination of special education services.

The administering corporation shall be Plymouth. As the administrator and fiscal agent for the joint services program, it shall maintain the Joint Service and Supply Fund Account and shall receive disbursed funds according to the agreement.

If a school wishes to withdraw from the cooperative, they must provide written notice to the PATHS Board of Managers by January 1^st of the school year prior to the school year in which they plan to withdraw.  The withdrawal won’t be final until the end of the school year the notice was made.    

The agreement also allows for new members to join the cooperative by applying with the PATHS Board of Managers by January 1 preceding the school year in which they would like the agreement to take effect.