Q&A
Growth and needs in special education teacher recruitment
3:15:21
ยท
59 sec
DOE officials provide data on the growth of certified special education teachers and discuss ongoing recruitment efforts. Council Member Rita Joseph presses for more specific information on remaining staffing needs.
- 25% growth in certified special education teachers over the last 10 years
- $9 million annual investment in teacher recruitment programs
- Acknowledgment of ongoing need to hire more special education teachers
John Hammer
3:15:21
So my colleagues will respond to that very just very quickly.
3:15:24
Just a couple couple, couple quick notes.
3:15:27
I wanted to say Spanish was the most translated, language.
3:15:32
I just wanted to confirm that data.
3:15:34
It is Spanish followed by Arabic and Bangla.
3:15:36
On the teacher recruitment front, it is worth it is worth noting that there has been a 25% growth in the number of certified special education teachers in New York City public schools over the last 10 years.
3:15:47
And so we you know, while we have work to do, we are you know, that is a significant increase in the workforce over the last decade.
Rita Joseph
3:15:53
And So how many more you still need though?
3:15:56
So you can stop calling it a shortage.
John Hammer
3:15:57
We still need to hire.
3:15:59
We still need to hire.
3:16:00
And and, the pathways program the pathway programs that our colleagues spoke about earlier are helping us to get there.
3:16:05
And and, you know, I don't know if it was stated that we that through all of our teacher recruitment programs, things like training, tuition, stipends, We invest over $9,000,000 annually in teacher recruitment, and I know that we have, continue to have work to do.
Rita Joseph
3:16:20
And students who are chronically absent, how do you how do you address that?