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Q&A
Challenges in hiring special education teachers and related service providers
2:16:42
ยท
3 min
Council Member Rita Joseph inquires about the challenges in hiring special education teachers and related service providers. DOE officials discuss current efforts and investments to address the staffing shortages.
- Hiring special education teachers is identified as the primary roadblock in opening new seats
- A cohort of approximately 1,000 new teaching fellows is expected in the fall, with a focus on special education
- Efforts are being made to create a pipeline for related service providers
- The DOE has invested in alternative certification programs and recruitment initiatives
- Pay parity for preschool special education educators in the private sector is highlighted as a game-changer
- Additional funding for teacher recruitment allows for larger alternative certification classes
Rita Joseph
2:16:42
How much of a roadblock is finding, hiring special education teachers and getting these seats online and ready to fill them up?
Christina Foti
2:16:48
It is our primary roadblock.
2:16:51
However, we are delighted that there will be a cohort of approximately another thousand teaching fellows coming in the fall, which is exciting.
2:17:00
We're gonna prioritize preschool special education, as well as bilingual special education, and special education generally with that cohort, so that there's hope coming.
Rita Joseph
2:17:10
Is there also a pipeline to create related services, a pipeline to create that we know that was a shortage area as well?
Mamuna Dumbia
2:17:19
Yes.
Christina Foti
2:17:21
Our tuition reimbursement and all of those incentives are still in place.
2:17:25
There is still a national shortage, but what we are doing is we currently we just closed an RFP that was out there to provide contract enhancements for our related service providers.
2:17:38
We do expect a significant increase in service via those contracts.
Rita Joseph
2:17:46
Do you believe that would you be able to offer these seats if you had the funding to find and hire all the necessary staff and teachers?
Christina Foti
2:17:54
So all of the gains that we've made thus far, Chair, are due to those investments.
2:17:59
Right?
2:17:59
So this administration put $55,000,000 we were able to open up those preschool classes.
2:18:04
16,000,000 in CPSE administrators, that is helping us enormously.
2:18:09
The $40,000,000 contract enhancement, remember how we got here.
2:18:14
We got here because two administrations ago we did not plan for special education to be an integral part of the Pre K for All.
2:18:22
I know I need to say that every time.
2:18:24
We've been making up for it via this administration, and that's why you and Councilmember Gutierrez meet with us every two weeks on this.
2:18:31
We've been inch by inch making up for an infrastructure that did not plan for special education.
2:18:36
With a 20% increase, that keeps growing.
2:18:38
So that's what we're adding.
2:18:41
And as you know, when you talk to families and kids that are in the seats, they are over the moon the services they are And so that is our goal.
Rita Joseph
2:18:50
So we have to keep doing that and also including the pay parity.
2:18:54
Most folks don't know about the 44.1 and how much that was a game changer for our preschool special education educators in the private sector.
2:19:00
So I'm gonna now pass it over to one
Daniel Weisberg
2:19:03
other One other element.
2:19:04
I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Rita Joseph
2:19:06
You had something?
Daniel Weisberg
2:19:06
Just while you were on that really good point, Chair, the other investment that Deputy Chancellor Foti is referring to is around our alternative certification program.
2:19:16
So the additional funding, the $10,000,000 in funding for teacher recruitment, that's what allows us to have a class of 1,000 plus to fill these.
2:19:24
And we certainly have the capacity to go even larger.
2:19:27
We have gone larger in the past.
2:19:29
But that costs money
Rita Joseph
2:19:31
to the Yes, that's and it's a great way for folks to come over to the field and incentivize them.
2:19:37
We have to be creative, right?
2:19:39
So thank you for that.
2:19:41
Councilmember Hanif.
Shahana Hanif
2:19:42
Thank you, chair.