Case Study: Medford School District 549C fills SLP gaps and reduces staff burnout with PresenceLearning telepractice

Large District Discovers Telepractice Can Fill Gaps and Prevent Staff Burn-Out

Medford School District, the largest district in southern Oregon serving about 12,700 students across more than 20 schools, faced a severe shortage of speech‑language pathologists because their rural location made recruitment difficult. After several SLPs resigned and traditional hiring failed, district leaders learned about telepractice through a regional meeting and a neighboring district’s experience with PresenceLearning and decided to pilot the service.

PresenceLearning delivered individualized 1‑on‑1 and 1‑on‑2 telepractice therapy, beginning in eight schools and expanding to 12, including elementary, middle, high and charter schools. Roughly 300 students were reviewed and the vast majority made adequate progress; the program increased student engagement, lightened on‑site SLP workloads, enabled a hybrid model with district SLPs focusing on assessments and evaluations, and is being expanded across the district.

Medford School District 549C

Ms. Erika Bare

Special Education Teacher