Finding their voice From the cover
Speech impairment as a percentage of total enrollment
At a glance
+3.68%
Clear Creek ISD
Texas
4%
+3.27%
While there are a number of factors that experts say have led to the increase in children needing speech therapy, Christen Ashley, CCISD’s speech and related services coordinator, said excessive screen time is a big factor. “Studies indicate it impacts the development of crucial communication skills, … especially during critical developmental periods,” she said. Ashley noted that both parents and children are spending more time on screens, which is replacing important verbal interactions. The COVID-19 pandemic also stunted development for children in many ways, said Matt Alexander, licensed SLP and founder of League City-based Alexander Speech and Hearing. “Everything being shut down, people being afraid to go out [and] kids not having that social interaction that they regularly have throughout development [all contributed],” he said. An uptick in the need for speech therapy in children occurred in ages 3 and 4—speci cally in late 2020 and early 2021, Alexander said. While the state is seeing an increased number of children with speech impairments, CCISD is experiencing a faster rate of growth, Texas Education Agency, or TEA, data shows.
+2.93%
+2.6%
3%
+2.48%
+2.17%
2%
+2.48%
+2.46%
+2.39%
+2.26%
+2.25%
+2.13%
1%
0%
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2022-23
2023-24
2024-25
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
“Without speech pathologists
“To increase the number of SLPs available to hire, the state would need to increase the programs available to pursue a master’s degree in speech-language pathology.” CHRISTEN ASHLEY, SPEECH AND RELATED SERVICES COORDINATOR, CLEAR CREEK ISD CCISD
“There’s a lack of understanding
Parent
State
… kids would be out there that would still be mute, misunderstood or not able to talk.” ROXANN ZAMORA, PARENT OF CCISD STUDENT WITH A SPEECH IMPAIRMENT
of the role of a speech- language pathologist in general and in the schools in particular. I think the value gets overlooked.” LORI COLLETTI, VICE PRESIDENT OF ADVOCACY, TEXAS SPEECH LANGUAGE HEARING ASSOCIATION
Put in perspective
How it works
more than the average base pay in Texas school districts starting in 2024, TEA data shows. Statewide, Lori Colletti, vice president of advocacy for Texas Speech-Language Hearing Association, or TSHA, said that while teachers saw pay raises during the 89th Texas Legislature this year, school-based SLPs did not. “When teacher pay keeps inching up but SLPs don’t, … that discourages people from wanting to work in the schools,” Colletti said.
The district has increased pay—including spending about $1.4 million more on SLP sta ng compared to scal year 2023-24—and added remote work options. However, it still can’t compete with medical settings. Compared to the annual mean wage of an SLP in the U.S. in 2024, CCISD’s base salary for an SLP was over 30% lower, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau of Labor Statistics and the TEA. The district, however, has managed to pay
If a student at CCISD is suspected of requiring speech services, teachers and sta may begin with classroom interventions, often using a Response to Intervention model, according to the district’s special education website. If concerns continue, either a parent or school sta member can request a special education evaluation at any time. If CCISD agrees to evaluate and receives written consent from the parent, the district has 60 school days to complete the evaluation under federal and state guidelines. If the student is found eligible, CCISD then has 30 calendar days to hold a meeting and develop an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, that outlines the student’s therapy goals and services. “Despite the shortage of SLPs, the district has maintained mandated federal timelines required by the [Individuals with Disabilities Education Act] and the TEA,” Ashley said. “The district has also been able to meet IEP-required service minutes through contracted services.”
Comparing speech-language pathologist base salaries Clear Creek ISD All Texas public school districts
Annual mean wage of an SLP in the U.S.
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
NOTE: DATA FOR CLEAR CREEK ISD AND TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICTS REFLECT AVERAGE BASE PAY BY SCHOOL YEAR E.G., 2019 REFERS TO THE 2019 20 SCHOOL YEAR .
SOURCES: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY, U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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