LISBON — Educators and administrators are continuing to see a need for qualified speech language pathologists in the county.

According to minutes of the August Columbiana County Educational Service Center Governing Board, the ESC is still having difficulty filling speech positions.

ESC Superintendent Marie Williams said during the board meeting that several positions remain unfilled and as a result the ESC will continue using Best Life Therapy in the meantime.

“We recognize that face-to-face services are the most effective but want to make sure that the needs of the students are begin addressed,” she said, according to the meeting minutes posted online.

Board member Marilyn Parkes said she has heard from several other people that hiring for speech language pathologists is continuing to be an ongoing issue.

In other matters, Williams and the board all expressed their satisfaction with the Opening Day event that was held earlier in the month.

The event began at the Columbiana Theater and ended at the Columbiana Athletix Facility.

This year’s theme was “Be the Chapter that Changes the Story.”

Williams said that staff mostly provided positive feedback and said they especially enjoyed the stations and opportunity to stay active throughout the day.

“We appreciate our local businesses providing meeting space for our very large group,” she said.

Board member Richard Stoudt said the event was “another great example of how well our staff plans and delivers large events.”

On yet another matter board member Dr. Jackie Mercer asked about the process for becoming a vendor at the Reach for the Stars Store.

Williams said anyone interested should reach out to Kitty Kromer who will provide the necessary paperwork to get the process started.

She also said the store can be reached directly.

The board then approved the resignations of several paraeducators, which Williams said are people not returning from last year.

The board also approved a long list of new paraeducators to fill positions.

It was also announced that the paving of the parking lot at the central office is expected to take place over two to three days in September.

The board previously approved a contract with West Point Paving for the work at a cost of $71,485.