MANSFIELD — Mansfield’s Board of Education Treasurer Robert Kuehnle said Monday’s special meeting was called because board members needed to approve a group of new hires before the school district could legally pay them.

The group included recently hired teachers, tutors and custodians. As part of a two-step process, all new hires must be approved by both the board of education members and the Financial Planning and Supervision Commission, who meets Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the Raemelton Administration Building.

The board approved three contracts.

One was with Liberty Mutual Insurance, a policy that includes property, general liability, crime, inland marine, automobile and umbrella coverage for a total account of $227,000.

The next contract was with The Center for Individual and Family Services from Catalyst Life Services. The contract will provide school-based mental health services and prevention support for the 2016-17 school year, totaling nearly $67,000.

The third contract is with the Mansfield Police Department to provide traffic duty at Sherman Elementary and Malabar Intermediate School before and after school hours.

The board would have approved one more contract Monday, but it was tabled because board president Renda Cline wanted to let board members who were absent, Gary Feagin and Monica Hubbard, be included in the discussion.

The contract hires Steven Helbert’s consultation for truancy services from Sept. 1 through May 31, 2017. The position would be part-time and he would be paid $35 per hour for 10 hours per week.

Superintendent Brian Garverick said Helbert used to serve the district as a truancy officer through the Mansfield Police Department.

“With 3,500 kids … we have an attendance officer at Senior High. But this would be mostly to verify residence of students that we have not heard from. And perhaps deliver notices,” Garverick said.

He said the attendance officer at Senior High currently does not have the time to accomplish what Helbert would do for the district.

The contract will be discussed and voted on during September’s regular meeting, Garverick said.