Special ed teachers in demand in Sioux Falls

A growing need for special education teachers is prompting Sioux Falls schools to hire more teachers before they've finished their certification.

The shift to recruit and hire candidates sooner is helping the district fill classroom jobs, but it's also pushing extra work onto fully trained teachers.

Sarah Henrichs started the the school year at George McGovern Middle School working alongside two special education teachers who weren't certified.

"It is challenging for us because they don't fill out any of the special education paperwork," Henrichs said. "That relies on teachers that are certified."

The number of students entering Sioux Falls schools with special learning needs has grown by almost 250 in the last five years — about an 8 percent increase. Meanwhile, the district has lowered the student-teacher ratios for special education classrooms and added support for teachers.

The number of special education teachers employed by the district has gone up in that time by almost a third, and the district plans to hire another 30 special education teachers for next school year, bringing the total to about 270 full-time equivalents.

At the start of this week, the district had 19 open special education positions. That number captures only a moment in time, Dorman said, but on average the district hires 27 special education teachers each year. The district encourages teachers to apply even if they are still working on a special education degree. About a quarter of special education teachers hired last year were not fully certified at the start of the school year, according to Becky Dorman, human resources supervisor for the district.

Some of these new hires come from the district's pool of student teachers. Special education student teachers are given access to meet with principals and interview as early as January for positions starting in the fall.

Principals also attend job fairs so they can interview special education teachers on the spot and make offers quickly after.

"That has to be a first priority when applicant pools are smaller," Dorman said.

Sixty-one of the 364 teacher vacancies in South Dakota are for special education positions, according to Randall Royer, leadership development director for the Associated School Boards of South Dakota. It's not just Sioux Falls seeing a shortage.

"It is a difficult position to fill," Royer said. "(The number of vacancies) also underscores the supply and demand. There's a demand and there just isn't enough of a supply."

Julie Large has taught special education in Sioux Falls for 20 years. She attributes the growing need in part to an increase of students with emotional concerns, but she also thinks the district is being proactive in adding positions.

Thirty of the vacant positions this year are newly created special education jobs, according to Dorman, including spots to expand the district's Tier 2 program, which addresses behavior issues by teaching social skills.

"A lot of people may think we're in the dark ages," Large said. "We're actually very progressive. We're ahead of, I would say, the national norm ... We're very good about thinking forward, about planning ahead."

Teacher pay tempting, not swaying students

Large's passion for special education exemplifies the impact a teacher can have on a student. She high-fives students she passes in the hall and shares their excitement in correctly reading a difficult word.

If special education teacher shortages continue, Royer said it'll be the students most impacted.

"(The shortage) really speaks to the students not getting the services that they need," Royer said. "And it's difficult to provide those without those special education teachers."

Follow education watchdog reporter Megan Raposa @mlraposa and on the Learning Curve blog.