July 21, 2023, Ed Source: West Contra Costa Unified among districts struggling to staff special education classes https://edsource.org/2023/west-contra-costa-unified-among-districts-struggling-to-staff-special-education-classes/694308
With less than four weeks before the start of the next school year, more than 200 special education paraprofessional positions in West Contra Costa Unified School District – about 33% – are unfilled, despite recruitment efforts….
That extra cost is unavoidable, Fleischman said, since the district is legally obligated to staff special education classes at a certain level: one paraprofessional is required for each class of students with mild to moderate support needs, and two are required for each class of students with extensive support needs. Students who have individualized education plans require one-on-one assistance.
The cost of the agency staff comes out of West Contra Costa Unified’s special education budget, leaving special education programs with fewer funds.
“We haven’t explicitly pulled from one program in order to make up for that added cost, but anytime you’re increasing an expenditure, that’s less money you have elsewhere,” Fleischman explained.
Fleischman is, however, confident in the staff that ProCare sends to West Contra Costa, he said.
“[ProCare] does a good job of training their folks, and they do a good job with oversight and transparency,” Fleischman said. “That minimizes the negative impact on programs, but the ideal is to have people employed through the district, members of our local union.”…
Veronica Diaz, who represents the Teamsters 856 union which includes West Contra Costa’s special education paraprofessionals, chalks up the district’s shortage to special education paraprofessionals leaving for private sector jobs with higher pay and better medical benefits, or going to other districts that are able to pay more. She added that many other districts are also searching for special education paraprofessionals….
“To be frank, folks are not making a lot of money in these positions, which are quite demanding both physically and emotionally,” Diaz said.
Last year, the California Federation of Teachers sounded the alarm about shortages of special education paraprofessionals in other school districts in the state, including Menifee, San Francisco and Gilroy, pointing to low wages as the primary reason for the shortages. …
Special education teachers are also in high demand throughout California. The Learning Policy Institute released a report before the pandemic in 2020, that said California was “in the midst of a severe special education teacher shortage that threatens the state’s ability to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.”…
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