North Dakota: SPED teachers report "burnout"; 44% considering leaving SPED
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North Dakota special education teachers and paraprofessionals are reporting burnout, citing increased workload, safety concerns and low pay, according to a survey presented to lawmakers this week.
More than 150 North Dakota special education professionals responded to the survey conducted by North Dakota United, a union representing educators and public sector employees.
The survey resulted from the passage of House Bill 1530 during the 2025 legislative session that commissioned a study to look at the needs of special education teachers and how to better retain them.
Educators brought up safety of students and staff during debate on the bill last year and during a Wednesday meeting of the Legislature’s interim Special Education Funding Committee.
One Mandan special education teacher said in submitted written testimony she had been injured multiple times over the past 10 years with some incidents requiring trips to a medical clinic.
In the survey, about 44% of respondents said there are rarely options for taking paid leave if they’re injured during a crisis at school.
“It’s not very much fun when a teacher gets injured on the job and they are forced to take their own sick leave by something that happened when they were working,” said Matt Liebel, a field consultant for North Dakota United.
Paraprofessionals also play a key role in special education by being present with students to assist them during coursework.
About 74% of respondents said pay and benefits for paraprofessionals rarely keep pace with the cost of living.
Jessica Van Winkle, a special education specialist in Bismarck Public Schools, told lawmakers she started as a paraprofessional in special education and would have stayed in that role if she could have earned enough to support her family. . . .
“They support students with complex disabilities that may require nurse-level knowledge, behavioral challenges that are more therapeutic in nature and academic needs,” Van Winkle said. “They should not be expected to carry professional instructional responsibilities without professional pay, preparation and protection.”
About 86% report they feel overwhelmed by their special education workload, and 44% report they are considering leaving special education.
“I’ve had colleagues leave special education, leave teaching all together, because those duties just got to be too much and they kind of got burnt out and done with it,” said Nathan Horgeshimer, a 15-year special education teacher from Killdeer. . . .
North Dakota United recommended to lawmakers that funding to special education units should be increased statewide to promote retention of special education staff.
“Without structural changes to time allocations, staffing levels and compensation practices, burnout and retention challenges are likely to continue,” said Amber Haskell, a field consultant for ND United. . . .
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