MS: Belhaven U offers teachers SPED certification; 600 SPED positions vacant

July 29, 2026, WLBT, Jackson, MS:  Belhaven University launches online special education endorsement amid growing teacher shortage

For Mississippi students with special learning needs, having a certified teacher in the classroom can make all the difference. But across the state, hundreds of those positions sit vacant.

Belhaven University’s School of Education is now offering a fully online Special Education Endorsement program designed to help licensed teachers expand their credentials and better serve students with diverse learning needs. The program launched this semester with 14 teachers enrolled in its first class.

A December 2025 report from the Mississippi Department of Education found nearly 600 special education teaching positions are vacant statewide, making it the single largest teacher vacancy category in Mississippi. That number has grown by more than 130 in just one year and by more than 200 since 2021.

Mariella Simons, chair of the graduate program in education at Belhaven, said the university developed the program after recognizing the growing need across the state.

“We recognized a need across the state for special education teachers. And so we developed a program, got approval from the Department of Education, then went through the Commission on Accreditation and the State Board of Education,” Simons said. “We have four courses that teachers will take if they already have a five-year license. They only have to take four courses to obtain an endorsement in special education.” . . .

The program is approved by the Mississippi Board of Education and offers endorsements 221, 223 or 224, depending on a teacher’s existing licensure. . . .

Simons said she expects enrollment to grow quickly as more teachers learn the endorsement pathway exists. . . .