Q&A
Discussion on staffing shortages and recruitment efforts for special education
3:53:18
ยท
142 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph and UFT President Michael Mulgrew discuss the current staffing shortages in special education and efforts to recruit and retain educators in shortage areas. Mulgrew highlights the challenges in recruitment and the need for better collaboration between the Department of Education and CUNY.
- Mulgrew credits the chancellor for prioritizing paraprofessional recruitment but notes discrepancies in reported hires versus actual payroll increases.
- The UFT has been actively involved in recruitment efforts, including holding hiring halls and processing applications.
- Mulgrew suggests improved collaboration with CUNY could help address shortages in specialized roles like occupational therapists and physical therapists.
Rita Joseph
3:53:18
Thank you.
3:53:18
But they did provide a vacancy rate, across the board as to what is needed.
Suzanne Sanchez
3:53:27
Power professionals.
Rita Joseph
3:53:30
Power professionals, they need 1,639.
3:53:36
Occupational therapist, 45.
3:53:39
PT, 10.
3:53:42
So what what do we have to do as the union to recruit and retain educators in those shortage areas?
Michael Mulgrew
3:53:48
So the what they're saying right now on power professionals is I wanna give the chancellor, our our current our our chancellor full credit.
3:53:56
When we had a press conference, announcing what we had found on a special education survey, she I was informed the next day by the Department of Ed.
3:54:05
It was the chancellor had told them, oh, number one priority is try to recruit, recruit power professionals.
3:54:12
Thankfully, we have a team in place that we used during COVID at the U of T.
3:54:16
We held many, many, hiring halls for people who were interested in this, and then we were able to process 60, the 1500 that they're now claiming that they hired.
3:54:28
We do not have proof that they've actually are working yet.
3:54:30
As of the last payroll, which we received last week, we have seen only an increase in 600 paras onto the payroll.
3:54:38
But we were the ones who processed them, helped them get through the, and helped them into the portal so that they could start to be hired.
3:54:46
On the other on the other titles you're speaking to, this could simply be solved if if we actually had a working collaborative relationship with the City University of New York who are producing people in all of those titles.
3:54:58
And it would be much easier if we had a collaborative process where they could be doing their, quote, some of their coursework inside of our schools with actual children because that is what required in most of their coursework.
3:55:10
That would be very helpful to do.
3:55:12
And we would try to do that.
3:55:14
Once again, it won't be our first time, but we do need the cooperation of both CUNY and the Department of of Ed, and both sides usually quit because they're exacerbated with the other side and their bureaucracies.
Rita Joseph
3:55:24
Well, they're here.
3:55:25
They're listening too.
Michael Mulgrew
3:55:26
I'm just being straight.
Rita Joseph
3:55:27
Well, thank you.
3:55:32
You're gonna Okay.
3:55:36
Thank you both.
Michael Mulgrew
3:55:37
Thank you so much.
3:55:38
Have a good evening.
Rita Joseph
3:55:39
You too.